On A Night Such As This
by autumnrose2010
Summary: Based on the 1998 movie 'Elizabeth.' What if Robert Dudley hadn't already been married and Queen Elizabeth had accepted his proposal?
1. Proposal

"On a night such as this, could a Queen say no?" Robert Dudley and Queen Elizabeth reclined together on a large pile of pillows on a gondola on a clear, starry night. Robert held his golden mask by its stick in his right hand, awaiting her response.

"Does not a Queen sit under the same stars as any other woman?" asked Elizabeth. Robert smiled, waiting for her to continue.

"Yes, dear Robin, I will marry you." Elizabeth looked earnestly into his dark gypsy eyes. "I have loved you since I was eight years old. I've tried to tell myself that to marry would mean to give up power, to compromise my duty toward the people of England to always put our country first. But to me, Robin, you are happiness. How could a Queen be an effective ruler when her heart is always longing for something it cannot have? With you by my side, Robin, I will have the courage and fortitude to be a much better ruler than I otherwise would be."

"My love!" Robert, overcome with happiness, laughingly showered Elizabeth's face with kisses. Elizabeth, dizzy with relief and filled with happiness that she had decided to follow her heart, laughed along with him.

Robert stood and addressed the boat's additional passengers. He pulled Elizabeth to her feet as well, and she stood beside him smiling with her face aglow.

"We have an announcement to make," Robert began. "The Queen and I are to be married!"

Everyone burst into applause. Someone wanted to know the date.

"Why, as soon as possible, of course!" He looked to Elizabeth for confirmation, and she smiled broadly at him.

"Monsignor Alvaro! As well as ambassador, are you not also a bishop?" he asked of the Spanish Ambassador, who was on another boat close by.

"I am," Monsignor Alvaro replied.

"Then you can marry Elizabeth and myself, now."

"Now?" Monsignor Alvaro was taken aback.

"Why wait another moment?" Robert asked.

Elizabeth was just about to say something in jest when everyone heard a scream and saw a body fall through the see-through curtain into the boat.


	2. Comfort After A Fright

_A/N: In my story (unlike in the movie) Elizabeth was a virgin until her wedding night._

The man's lifeless body fell right on top of Elizabeth, and she and Robert saw that it was that of a castle guard. He had been shot straight through the heart. Robert pulled the curtain shut and moved the man's body off of Elizabeth. Another arrow embedded itself into the side of the curtain.

"My Elizabeth!" Robert cried, covering her body with his own.

"Please get us to shore as quickly as possible," he ordered the men who were rowing the boat. "Are you all right, my love?" he asked Elizabeth.

"Y-yes," she said shakily. Robert held her the rest of the way to the shore. When the boat finally came to shore and they disembarked and went into the palace, he stayed right by her side the entire time, never letting go. Outside her chambers, he reluctantly let her go as her ladies took over, removing her blood-stained dress and replacing it with a clean one.

As she was preparing for bed, there was a soft knock on her door. She opened it to find Robert standing there with a look of utmost concern on his face.

"I came to bid you good night, and to say that I hope that all of your dreams are pleasant."

"Please come in, Robin," she said. He looked surprised and a bit hesitant but did as she told him to. "I'm so very glad to see you. After what happened earlier, I don't feel like being alone tonight."

"Of course I will stay, if that's what you desire," Robert said.

She stepped aside, and he entered. He watched as she turned down the covers and got into bed, motioning for him to join her. He just looked at her, shocked.

"I just want you to hold me," she explained. Hesitantly, he reached for her and pulled her to himself, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Neither of them spoke for a long time.

"I saw a man die right in front of me," she whispered after a while. "It could just as easily have been me, or you, or anyone."

"We had three guardian angels looking out for us," Robert said soothingly. "Dear Amy, Guilford, and Jane were watching from above." Amy was Robert's wife who had died of the sweating sickness in 1552, in the same outbreak that had also killed his younger sister, Temperance. Robert had mourned her for a long time, and had only begun to recover from her loss when he had reunited with Elizabeth when they had both been prisoners in the Tower at the same time in 1553. Guilford and Jane were Robert's brother and sister-in-law who had been executed in 1554, when Robert's father's effort to put Jane on the throne in place of Mary Tudor had failed.

"I wouldn't blame you if you had second thoughts about marrying me after what happened tonight," Elizabeth said softly.

"Why do you say that?"

"As the prince consort, your own life would be in danger as well as mine. Those who seek my death would seek yours as well."

"On the contrary, what happened tonight makes me more determined than ever to marry you. As none of us knows how much time we have left, I want more than ever to spend as much of that time as I can with you."

"I do love you, Robin." Touched by his words, Elizabeth cuddled more closely to him, and he hugged her more tightly.

"I love you too, my dearest, more than words can say." He kissed the top of her head.

Elizabeth could feel passion beginning to stir inside her body. The sweetness of Robert's words and the warmth of his touch caused her desire to build quickly.

"I only wish..." her voice trailed off.

"What do you wish, my dear?"

Elizabeth sighed. "I wish that I could know you as Eve knew Adam, tonight."

He laughed. "Patience, my dear. Our wedding night will be here before you know it."

Comforted and cheered by his presence, Elizabeth slowly drifted off to sleep in his arms.


	3. Worth The Wait

She looked down the aisle at him standing there tall and regal in a black doublet with gold trim and buttons, a black hat with a gold hat pin, and a smile that she knew was just for her. Music played as she slowly made her way toward the vicar at the front on the church. Robert's sister Mary carried her train as she slowly made her way forward.

At last she and Robert stood side by side facing the vicar as they exchanged their vows.

"You may kiss the bride," the vicar told Robert. Robert lifted Elizabeth's veil, and his dark eyes gazed into her own. Elizabeth saw how they shone with love and devotion. Her heart soared with happiness as she closed her eyes and felt the soft warmth of his lips touching hers. All too soon the moment was over, and all the guests cheered in celebration.

Afterwards there was dancing. Elizabeth's cousins, the Careys and the Knollyses, Robert's brother Ambrose and his wife Elizabeth, and Robert's sisters and brothers-in-law the Sidneys and the Hastings were all there. Elizabeth knew that she had never been any happier than she was today, not even on the day of her coronation. A part of her wanted this day to never end, yet another part eagerly looked forward to its culmination that night. As she looked into Robert's dancing eyes, she knew that he felt the same way she did.

At last the festivities of the day drew to a close, and Elizabeth and Robert shared a quiet dinner.

"To us," Robert said, lifting his glass of wine. Elizabeth touched her own to his, and they drank the toast together.

Elizabeth was so excited that she barely touched her food. Robert looked at her with concern.

"I'm afraid I just don't feel that hungry tonight," she confessed. Robert smiled, winked at her, and squeezed her hand. He understood.

Once inside their chambers that night, Elizabeth dismissed the servants. "On my wedding night, my husband has the privilege of undresssing me," she said.

"A privilege which he anticipates with the utmost eagerness," Robert said happily. Very slowly and gently, he began to undress her, savoring every moment of the experience. When she finally stood before him naked, he used first his hands, then his mouth, to lavish loving attention onto first one breast, then the other. She felt herself grow weak with desire as he then began to remove his own clothing. She watched, mesmerized, as he removed the final item, revealing the part of his anatomy that fascinated her most. Her hand automatically reached to softly caress it, and Robert began to moan. Elizabeth felt her heart quicken.

They lay side by side on the bed, and between her legs his fingers worked busily, stimulating her, getting her ready.

"I promise, I'll be as gentle as possible," he whispered. He was. She felt only the slightest twinge as he entered her, followed by a delicious friction as he moved inside her. He cried out as he went over the edge, then lay beside her and cuddled her.

She found that she had bled, just a little.

"It's perfectly normal. Nothing to worry about at all," Robert quickly assured her.

"I _know _that." He heard the edge in her voice and was instantly contrite.

"Of course you do. I'm so very sorry for implying otherwise."

"Perhaps I overreacted."

"If so, it's all right. Perfectly understandable under the circumstances."

_"What _circumstances?"

He laughed softly. "Never mind. Was it worth the wait?"

"Why, yes, of course it was. Was it for you?"

"Absolutely." He grinned."I love you, my darling Elizabeth, more than words can say," he said as he gently kissed her lips.

"And I love you, my sweet Robin, so very much," she whispered. "Now I belong to you completely, body, heart and soul."

"As do I to you, for as long as we both shall live," Robert whispered back. His hand gently rubbed her back in lazy circles.

"That feels so nice," she told him. He chuckled softly, squeezed her tightly, and then resumed rubbing her back as before. She yawned. He laughed and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Go to sleep now, little love," he said. At any other time and from any other person, she would have been greatly offended at being called 'little love,' but tonight, from Robert, it was perfectly all right. Better than perfectly all right. She cuddled closer to him and was soon asleep.


	4. Then And Now

_She was eight years old, and he was nine. They were playing tag in the field, and it was her turn to try to catch him. She didn't see the large tree root sticking up until she had tripped on it and gone sprawling onto the ground.  
>"Are you all right, Bessie?" He was there right away, helping her to stand. She was crying because she had skinned her knee and it hurt really bad.<br>"Don't cry, Bessie. I shall kiss it and make it better." Gently he wiped the blood away with a handkerchief and kissed the wound.  
>"Th-thank you, Robin," she stammered through her tears. He smiled and offered her his arm for support.<br>"I shall marry you when we are both grown," he told her.  
>"But Robin, I shall never marry."<em>

_She was sixteen years old and was attending a wedding on a beautiful day in June. He and Amy Robsart were exchanging vows. He was dashing in a new suit, and Amy was simply lovely in her white gown with the long train.  
>The vicar pronounced them man and wife, and she watched, transfixed, as he lifted Amy's veil and kissed her.<br>Later, the happy couple mingled with their guests and shared their joy.  
>"Oh, Bess, this is the most wonderful day of my life," Amy gushed as she clasped Elizabeth's hands, tears of joy in her eyes.<br>"I'm happy for you, Amy," Elizabeth said.  
>"It was good of you to come, Bess," Robert said as he took her hand. There was longing in his eyes, but who was it for?<br>"You both look absolutely perfect together, Robin. I hope that you shall have a long and happy marriage," she told him.  
>It wasn't until she was all alone that she buried her face in a pillow and cried until there were no more tears left.<em>

_She was twenty years old and was imprisoned in the Tower. She knew that he and his brothers were imprisoned there as well, as she saw the five of them going out into the yard to exercise every day. She watched him closely but he never gave any indication that he realized that she was watching him. She wondered whether or not he even knew that she was imprisoned there as well._

_She was twenty-five years old and had just been crowned Queen of England, and she needed someone to manage the royal stables. He had always had a natural gift with horses and was the logical choice for the position. She wondered whether his constant presence at court might not be too painful for her to handle, but in the end she knew that she had to do what was best for the palace and, therefore, what was best for England.  
>He looked just as handsome as ever, if not more so, when he arrived to take over the position.<br>"How are you, Bess? It's so good to see you again." He smiled and gave her a friendly hug.  
>"I'm well, thank you. How are you, Robin?"<br>"I'm all right. A bit lonely sometimes."  
>"How's Amy?"<br>"Didn't you know? I lost her a few years ago. She died of the sweating sickness at about the same time Temperance did."  
>"Oh, Robin, I'm so sorry..."<em>

_It was a couple of years later. The palace was having a ball, and he was dancing with her cousin Lettice Knollys. She saw the look of utter adoration in Lettice's eyes and felt a white hot stab of jealousy shoot right through her. With God as her witness, she would never let Lettice have him, no matter what she had to do. The following night, there were going to be boat rides on the Thames. She would make sure that she was in the same boat as he._

The morning after her wedding, she opened her eyes to find herself held tightly to his bare chest. He was still snoring slightly, and his chest hairs tickled her nose a little bit. She moved the cover slightly so that more of his body was exposed and found her hand gently drifting southward to touch him. Her hand lingered there awhile, her fingers gently exploring. After awhile, she looked at his face and saw him grinning saucily at her. She blushed slightly.

"I didn't mean to awaken you."

"That's quite all right. I can't think of any other way I'd rather be awakened." He winked at her and she grinned.


	5. Crime And Punishment

"I must admit that right now I feel terribly selfish. I have a country to rule, but all I want to do is spend time with you," Elizabeth told Robert.

Robert laughed gently. "I believe that on the morning after her wedding, even a Queen is entitled to be selfish." His hand moved slowly up her thigh, and his lips brushed hers ever so gently, invitingly. She lay back on the bed, relishing the deliciousness of his touch. Soon her passion was once again aroused to the level it had been at the previous night.

"Oh, Bess, there's so much love I want to give you. I've been saving it up for ever so long," he whispered.

The second time, there was no pain at all, only the incredible sweetness of him moving inside her. She cried out first, and he did the same a few seconds later.

Lying beside him afterwards, Elizabeth was astonished to feel tears forming in her eyes. She knew that she wasn't sad; on the contrary, she felt as if her happiness knew no bounds. Robert was there instantly, kissing her tears away.

"Are you all right, love?" His voice held a note of concern.

She nodded. "I just want you to hold me. That's all."

"Ah, Bess." He put his arms around her and squeezed tightly. She snuggled close to him again and felt his fingers gently sweeping through her hair, his lips kissing the top of her head.

"Your grace." Elizabeth heard the voice of her Principal Secretary, Sir Francis Walsingham.

"Now, go rule the country. I promise not to be jealous." Robert laughed and playfully swatted his wife's behind.

* * *

><p>"I'm very sorry to have disturbed you, your grace, but I bring important news. The man who murdered the castle guard and attempted to take your life as well has been apprehended," Walsingham stated.<p>

"I'm so very glad to hear that. I feel much safer knowing that he is now in custody," Elizabeth said.

The date for the man's trial arrived. Elizabeth sat beside Robert, holding his hand and staring at her attacker. He held his head defiantly, his crazed eyes darting about the room as the accusations against him were read. The look on his face sent chillls up and down Elizabeth's spine. She knew that there were people who wanted her dead, but this was the first time that she had actually laid eyes on one of them.

The man didn't say much in his own defense, and his face showed little emotion when his verdict and sentence were stated. He was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to death by beheading.

The morning of the execution was bright and sunny, in contrast to the grim operation to be performed that day. Elizabeth stood beside Robert and watched as the condemned man was escorted by two prison guards up the scaffold. She listened as the charges, verdict, and sentence were announced. She watched as he handed a coin to the masked executioner, listened as the executioner asked for his forgiveness, receiving only a grunt in response. She watched as a handkerchief was tied around the man's eyes and he lay down on the scaffold with his head on the block. One swift blow of the axe, and the man's head fell into the waiting basket, his body twitching and blood gushing from the stump of his neck. The crowd roared, but Elizabeth stood silently, holding Robert's hand. As the crowd dispersed, she and Robert turned and walked slowly back toward the palace.

"I wonder whether or not he had any children." Elizabeth's voice finally broke the silence.

Robert didn't say anything.

"I was not yet three years old when my mother was put to death, you know."

"I know." Robert looked at her with pity in his eyes.

"My father hired a French swordsman to take off her head. For some reason, he thought that that would be a more merciful death than if it were done by axe."

Robert heard the bitterness in his wife's voice and suddenly felt profoundly sad. "My father and grandfather both met the same fate, as did my brother Guilford, as you know."

He saw the tears in her eyes as she nodded. He put his arm around her and gave her a gentle hug. The rest of the walk back to the palace was silent.


	6. A Royal Surprise

**One Year Later**

"My bonny sweet Robin!" Elizabeth cried with joy as she saw her husband approaching. He had been gone for almost a fortnight, taking care of a family emergency that had suddenly come up.

"Bess, my love!" Robert exclaimed as Elizabeth ran into his waiting arms and he held her tight. He felt as if he never wanted to let her go.

"These are for you." He handed her a bouquet of red roses, and she gasped with surprise and delight.

"Oh, Robin, they're my favorite!"

"I know." He chuckled softly. "Better get some water for them quickly." Gently he ran his palm over her rounded belly. "How has the little one been?"

"He's been fine. Keeping me awake all night long with his kicking, is all." Elizabeth was about eight and a half months pregnant, and they were both very relieved that her labor hadn't started while Robert was away.

Robert bent and kissed Elizabeth's belly. "I just can't wait to meet him, or her." His voice was so soft that it was almost a whisper. He stood and kissed Elizabeth's lips tenderly.

Elizabeth held the lovely bunch of roses to her nose and inhaled their sweet scent. Then she hurried to find a vase to put them in.

* * *

><p>That evening, Elizabeth was luxuriating in her bath when she felt a strange tightness across her abdomen. It lasted only a second and then went away. A quiver of excitement went through her. <em>It could be the beginning of my childbirth pains, <em>she thought. She had emerged from the tub and was drying off when she felt the strange tightness again. It was a bit stronger this time, which made her feel all the more certain that the time had come.

She made her way to her bedchambers where Robert sat waiting for her.

"I think it's time to summon the midwife," she told him. He looked at her with wide eyes and left immediately.

Elizabeth lay on the bed to wait. The contractions were becoming stronger and beginning to be quite painful.

The midwife arrived shortly and examined Elizabeth. "It'll be a while yet," she said.

Elizabeth lay lightly dozing in between contractions for several hours. In the middle of the night, they suddenly became much more painful and closer together. She clutched the sheets and groaned, waiting for the intense pain to pass.

It was near dawn that the midwife examined her again and told her to bear down with the next contraction. Elizabeth did, her face grimacing with the effort.

After several hours of pushing, Elizabeth was exhausted. "I don't think that I can go on," she gasped.

"But you're almost there! The head is crowning!"

The excitement in the midwife's words gave Elizabeth the energy to push one more time, and then the baby's entire head was out. Elizabeth took deep breaths, waiting for the next contraction. When it came, she pushed again with all her might, and the rest of the baby's body slid into the waiting hands of the midwife.

"It's a boy!" the midwife exclaimed happily.

The newborn began to wail almost immediately. Elizabeth watched, fascinated, as the midwife cleaned him and wrapped him in a blanket. Then another sharp pain suddenly ripped across her abdomen.

Astonished, Elizabeth gave in to her body's urge to push again. The midwife's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She quickly examined Elizabeth once more, and her face went pale. "I had no idea..." she mumbled.

Elizabeth continued pushing, and the midwife resumed her former position. Within moments a second baby emerged from Elizabeth's body and slid into the midwife's hands just as the first baby had, announcing its arrival with a lusty wail.

"It's a girl!" the midwife exclaimed, holding the baby aloft for her mother to see. Elizabeth was still in too much shock to be able to take it all in right away.

The midwife cleaned the second baby and wrapped her in a blanket, then handed both babies to their mother.

"Why, hello, my dears," Elizabeth said, gazing with wonder at each red, wrinkled face. The infants each had a tiny tuft of hair on top of their heads. The boy's was brown, and the girl's was red.

After Elizabeth had admired the babies for a few minutes, the midwife took them to introduce them to their father, who was pacing just outside the door.

Elizabeth suddenly longed to see Robert more than she ever had before. Her heart thrilled with joy when he was finally allowed in to see her. He was grinning ear to ear, and his eyes were shining with happiness and love.

"You have done remarkably well, my love," he told his wife. "Both our children are absolutely beautiful. I'm so very proud of you."

"Thank you." Elizabeth was so exhausted that her voice was barely more than a whisper. Robert came to the bed and embraced her tightly. She clung to him, relishing the warmth and comfort of his body. He ran his fingers through her hair ever so gently. Then he lightly kissed the top of her head.

"They will need names, you know," he said softly.

Elizabeth looked from her husband to her infant son and knew that there was only one name that would do. "Our son shall be called Robert," she said.

"Thank you, my love." Robert looked exceedingly pleased.

Next Elizabeth looked at the tuft of red hair on her new daughter's head, then to the vase of flowers on her dresser. "And our daughter shall be called Rose," she said.

"That's perfect! I love it!" Robert exclaimed happily. "And I love you, Bess, so very much," he added tenderly.

"I love you too, Robin," said Elizabeth. She looked at her sleeping children and felt incredibly happy.


	7. Parenthood

Before the day had ended, there had already been a major conflict between Elizabeth and her former governess and long-term friend, Kat Ashley.

"But I want to feed them myself," Elizabeth protested.

"It simply isn't done," Kat insisted. "Wet nurses shall be found for them."

Just then, baby Robert awoke and began crying. Kat reached for him, but Elizabeth was faster. Quickly she moved the material of her gown aside and gently guided Robert's mouth to her breast, where he latched on hungrily. Elizabeth gave Kat a look that was part pleading, part challenge.

"Very well," Kat said with a sigh. Elizabeth watched as she went away muttering to herself. She loved Kat dearly, but she was determined to make her own decisions regarding the care of her children.

Almost immediately, Rose awakened and began to whimper. Robert picked her up right away and held her close, gently rocking her as he sang to her.

_Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green  
>When I am king, dilly dilly, you shall be queen<br>Who told you so, dilly dilly, who told you so?  
>Twas my own heart, dilly dilly, that told me so...<em>

"Lofty ambitions, have we?" Elizabeth asked. Robert burst out laughing, and his wife joined in a moment later.

Baby Robert was soon asleep, and Elizabeth gently laid him in his crib as her husband handed Rose to her. Within a few seconds, baby Robert stirred again, and his father held him and sang to him as he had to Rose.

It quickly became routine for Robert to hold and comfort one baby while Elizabeth fed the other. Elizabeth achieved a new closeness with her husband during these periods, as she temporarily forgot that she was a Queen and he her subject and saw them instead as simply two parents caring for their children together.

While both babies slept, Robert and Elizabeth went for long walks in the garden, talking of their childrens' futures.

"I imagine that Robert will most likely excell in mathematics and astronomy, as you always did," Elizabeth said. "Do you remember all those hours you spent with me when we were children, trying to help me understand arithmetic problems? You used to get so impatient with me. I remember how you would shout and tell me that I wasn't really trying, and I would push the book away and burst out crying."

"Indeed I do." Robert laughed. "You had strengths I lacked, however. I remember that your spelling and penmanship were always superior to mine."

"I remember the time I made fun of your handwriting. Although you didn't say anything, I could tell by the look on your face that your feelings were really hurt."

"That was ever so long ago, Bess. I hope you don't still worry your sweet head about it."

"I do, just a little," Elizabeth admitted.

"Yet there is absolutely no reason for you to do so. And may I remind you, my dear lady, that my handwriting skills are now excellent, even if I do say so myself."

"That's certainly true, although I still don't understand the first thing about mathematics."

"Never mind, my darling. You happen to be excellent at so very many other things."

Robert suddenly gathered his wife into his arms and kissed her passionately. Elizabeth could tell that he was aroused and felt badly about it, as the physician hadn't yet given her permission to resume her marital relations with her husband. She determined that when he finally did, she would be sure to give Robert a night he would never forget.


	8. A Night To Remember

_A/N: I guess you could make lemonade with this one if you wanted to but I don't think that it would be very tart...:)_

As soon as Robert entered his wife's chambers, he could tell that there was something different about this evening. The fragrance of incense wafted seductively in the air, and he gasped in surprise when he saw what Elizabeth was wearing. It was the very revealing negligee he had bought her in Paris, and she was also wearing his favorite perfume. For him it was a welcome sight after a hard day of hunting.

"Did you fare well?" Elizabeth asked after kissing him hello.

"Quite well. We'll be eating quail for a while." He grinned. "How did your visit with the physician go?"

"Very well." She winked at him, and his grin grew wider. "Come. I have something special planned." She took his hand and led him into the bathroom, where he found the tub filled with scented water and rose petals. He gasped with surprise and delight.

Slowly, methodically, Elizabeth began to remove her husband's clothing. With each article of clothing she removed, he felt himself growing more aroused, until he finally stood before her completely naked, his desire blantantly obvious. Even though she was his wife, he still felt a little bit embarrassed. Elizabeth merely smiled and touched him lightly with unspoken promises of pleasures yet to come. She helped him into the tub and began to lovingly wash him all over.

"Where are the servants?" he asked.

"I gave them the evening off. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my husband for one night."

_That you are, _Robert thought admiringly. It was obvious that she had put a lot of planning and effort into this special night, and his heart swelled with gratitude and love for her.

After the bath came dinner, which was roast duck with vegetables. Robert heard soft violin music playing as they ate and knew that Elizabeth had stationed court musicians just outside their chambers.

"This is lovely," he said.

"I remembered that it's one of your favorite meals."

"Thank you very much, my dear lady."

"You're quite welcome." Her hand softly squeezed his knee under the table, and he felt himself becoming hard again. _Oh, the sweet torture..._

When they finished eating, Elizabeth took Robert by the hand and led him to their bed. Robert started to remove his pants, which were by now quite uncomfortable, but Elizabeth shook her head and took his hands into her own instead. She began to kiss him passionately, running her hands through his dark tresses as she did so, and he began to caress her still-fully-clothed body. After awhile, Elizabeth removed Robert's shirt, placing a trail of kisses first across his collarbone, then down his chest. Robert felt himself growing weak and began to wonder how much longer his legs could support him. Elizabeth slipped her hands under Robert's pants and very slowly tugged them down, then did the same with his underwear. The sudden release combined with the sensation of the air against his rigid skin was extremely pleasurable, but Elizabeth had only just begun. As she lightly placed kisses along his length, he began to moan with pleasure combined with an aching need, which was fulfilled when she suddenly took his entire length into her mouth and began to move up and down rhythmically, her tongue busily encircling him the entire time.

"Oh my God," Robert moaned, just before experiencing an explosive climax. It was the first time she had ever done that for him, and the experience was indescribable. He truly felt as if he were in heaven's antechamber.

Robert collapsed onto the bed, pulling a still-fully-clothed Elizabeth on top of him. He began to kiss her and simultaneously tug at her clothing with abandon. She hurriedly slipped out of her clothing, and Robert began to place kisses on practically every exposed area of her skin. He started with her neck, then worked his way down to her collarbone, then continued all the way down her belly, at which point he gently parted her legs and returned the favor she had graced him with. She moaned and thrashed as a powerful climax overcame her, sending tingling sensations down the length of every nerve in her body. Before she knew what had happened, Robert was on top of her and inside her, and they moved together with wild abandon, each of them crying out with joyful release and then lying in one another's arms, utterly sated.

"You never cease to amaze me, my dear lady," Robert finally said, breaking the silence.

"I take it that performance met with your approval?" Elizabeth silently wondered whether Amy had ever pleasured him as she herself just had but knew that she would never dare to ask him that question. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them that Robert's sex life with his first wife was not to be discussed. For Robert it risked the return of painful memories; for Elizabeth, the seeds of jealousy and insecurity.

"That performance far surpassed my wildest dreams." Robert laughed. "You have truly presented me with an evening of unbridled pleasure, my beloved wife, and for that I thank you very much."

"It was my pleasure as well." Elizabeth cuddled more closely to Robert, and he embraced her more tightly.

As they silently lay there in one another's arms, Robert thought about what an incredibly fortunate man he was. Not only was his wife a Queen, but she was also beautiful, intelligent, warm, sensual, passionate, kind, loving - everything he could have asked for, and more. He loved her more than life itself.

Elizabeth thought about how foolish she had been to think that she had to choose between love and power, that she couldn't have one without compromising the other, that she couldn't be both a loving wife and mother and a capable ruler.

"I'm so very glad I married you." She was really just thinking out loud, but Robert heard and responded.

"So am I." He laughed gently.

"I'm only sorry that it took so long for me to come around."

"Oh, sweetheart, that doesn't matter. We're together now."

Elizabeth yawned and stretched luxuriously. "I want to check on the twins before I settle down for the night."

"Oh, of course. So do I."

Quietly they tiptoed into the nursery, where both children were fast asleep. At six weeks they had both gained a little bit of weight, so their skin didn't look as wrinkled now, but they weren't really plump yet. Their complexions were a lot smoother now as well. Little Robert lay curled up on one side, sucking his thumb, and Rose lay on her back clutching a toy, her rosebud lips moving ever so slightly.

"They're just so precious," Elizabeth said. "Sometimes I can hardly believe that they came from you and me. From our love."

Robert hugged her and kissed the top of her head. "They are beautiful," he agreed. "As is their mother."

Elizabeth blushed slightly at the compliment. Robert felt honored to be one of the very few people who ever saw the Queen's other side, her softer side, the side that yearned for love, companionship, protection, and safety, just as any woman did.


	9. First Embrace

Robert silently took Elizabeth's hand, and they returned to their own bedroom, where they both lay down on the bed and Elizabeth settled into Robert's arms with her head resting on his shoulder.

"Do you remember the very first time you ever held me like this?" she asked him.

"Do I ever!" he replied.

* * *

><p><em>She had told herself that she would avoid him as much as possible, but on this particular day, she found herself walking toward the stables for no particular reason except that she knew that he would be there. It was a lovely day for horseback riding, and that was enough of an excuse for her to go. Perhaps she would just quietly choose a horse and go riding without even saying hello to him. However, that was not to be.<em>

_"Elizabeth!" She heard the excitement in his voice and saw the big grin on his face as he ran up to her._

_"Hello, Robert. It's a lovely day for riding, isn't it?" she asked coolly._

_"Absolutely gorgeous," he agreed._

_She found the horse she wanted and he helped her to mount it. She was just about to ride away when she saw the sad look in his eyes and had to swallow a lump in her throat._

_"Would you care to accompany me, Robert?"_

_"I'd love to!" he replied without hesitation._

_After a lovely morning of riding, they returned to the stables, and Elizabeth was just about to go back to the palace when the look on Robert's face made her hesitate._

_"There's something I'd like for you to see," he explained. Obediently she followed him into one of the stalls, where a newborn foal lay in the straw at its mother's feet._

_"He was just born last night," Robert told her._

_The foal looked at Elizabeth with its large chocolate-colored eyes and Elizabeth felt her heart melt. "Oh, aren't you precious," she whispered, kneeling to gently touch the foal's downy head. Absorbed in the wonder of new life, it was a few minutes before she noticed Robert standing to the side, grinning at her. She rose and went to stand beside him._

_"He's beautiful," Elizabeth said, blinking back tears. For some reason she didn't understand, she was deeply moved._

"You're _beautiful." Robert softly touched her chin and looked into her eyes. "I love you, Bessie. I have since I was nine years old."_

_"Why did you marry Amy then?" she asked curtly, turning away from him. "I cried myself to sleep the night after you two were wed."_

_"Oh, Bess, I had no idea," he said softly. "You told me once that you would never marry, and I believed you." She heard the pleading tone in his voice but wouldn't turn around and face him. "All you would have had to do would have been to say the word."_

_"You know as well as I do that it isn't proper for a young lady to ask a gentleman for his hand in matrimony, Robert. It simply isn't done. Besides, you had plenty of opportunity to ask me if you so desired."_

_"We were both so young then," Robert said. "That, and I was afraid of what the answer might be."_

_"You were too afraid to ask me, but not to ask Amy?"_

_"Bess, you know what I'm talking about. You know how things were back then." She did. Her brother Edward had been King but too young to take on the full responsibility of his position. Those who had really been in control might well have disapproved of a match between a princess and a man who wasn't royalty himself. Still, Robert could have asked._

_"Things are different now, Bessie." His voice was warm and soft as he lightly touched her arm, turned her to face him once again. "We're both older now, more mature, more sure of what we want. And what I want is to have you beside me, always."_

_She looked down, blinking back tears._

_"There was another reason," she whispered. "Thomas Seymour. I was only fourteen years old when he touched me in ways that weren't appropriate, while his wife Katherine Parr yet carried his child."_

_Robert's face grew red with fury. "I would kill the scoundrel if he weren't dead already. I almost wish that were the case."_

_"He didn't take my virtue, Robin. I still have that to offer to whomever I may wed in the future."_

_"How I should love to be that most fortunate of men." The fact that she had reverted to using the nickname wasn't lost to him. "Although I am sorry indeed that you had to endure what you did." He embraced her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. It occurred to her that being held by Robert was the nicest feeling she had ever experienced. As he stroked her hair, she practically melted under his touch. She thought that she could easily have stayed in that position for the rest of the day._

_"What he did disinclined me toward marriage for a long time afterwards, however."_

_"I can certainly understand that," Robert said sympathetically. "I certainly hope that you have become less disinclined toward it with the passage of time." The barest hint of mischief was in his smile._

_"I believe that I have, Robin." She smiled in return, and suddenly everything was all right again. He walked her back to the palace and kissed her cheek when he said good-bye. Every time she touched that cheek afterwards, she smiled fondly, remembering. She went to sleep that night with the memory of that innocent kiss still burning in her mind._


	10. Forever And Always

**One Year Later**

"Thank you, it's beautiful! Will you put it on me, please?"

"Certainly," Robert told his wife. He fastened the beautiful sapphire necklace around Elizabeth's neck. He had just returned form a visit to North England and brought the necklace back as a gift. Sapphires were her birthstone. He had decided to wait until they were going for a walk in the garden to give the necklace to her.

"You give me so many presents, Robin, but what do I ever give you?"

Robert smiled warmly. "You've already given me the most precious gift of all: yourself."

"Forever and always, Robin." Elizabeth slipped her hand into his.

"Forever and always, Bess, my heart belongs to you." Robert squeezed Elizabeth's hand and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

The sweetness of the moment was suddenly interrupted by a wave of dizziness which caused Elizabeth to swoon.

"It's all right. I've got you." Robert caught her before she fell. "What happened?"

"I...don't know. I just suddenly felt...so weak." Elizabeth frowned. "I think I'd best head back now."

Robert gathered her into his arms and carried her back inside the palace in haste. "Fetch the court physician immediately," he called as he whisked Elizabeth to her bed, where he gently laid her down.

"It's all right. Everything's going to be all right," he whispered, clasping her hand as he gently swept damp hair back from her forehead.

"Don't leave me, Robin," she begged.

"I'm right here, darling. I'm not going anywhere," he assured her.

"I'm so cold." Elizabeth shivered, and her teeth chattered. Robert quickly fetched a blanket and tucked it snugly around her.

The court physician arrived and gave a grim diagnosis. "Smallpox."

Over the day, Elizabeth's condition worsened. Robert never left her side.

"Promise me one thing, Robert." Elizabeth's voice was very weak.

"Anything, my love."

"Promise that you'll always keep me alive in the memories of our children. Raise Robert and Rosie to take pride in their Tudor and Boleyn heritages. When you remarry, above all, search for someone who will treat them kindly. And when Robert becomes a great King, as I know that he will someday, remind him that his mother will be watching proudly from above."

"No, Elizabeth, please don't talk like that. You _will _survive this. You'll see. Everything's going to be just fine."

Elizabeth knew that he was trying to be brave and strong for her sake, but he wasn't able to hide the tears coursing down his cheeks. She gently wiped them away with her fingers.

Later, when Robert thought she was asleep, she heard him praying.

"Dear Lord, You've already taken one wife from me. I knew that it was Your will and I never questioned it, but I beg of You, please, please don't take Elizabeth. She is my life, and I don't think that I can live without her..."

Elizabeth placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"Robin?"

He raised his red, swollen eyes to look at her. "What is it, my love?"

"I'm thirsty. Will you please bring me something to drink?"

"Of course, darling."

He brought her a cup of cold water and helped her to sit up and drink it. As he did so, he noticed that her skin felt cool to the touch.

"Do you feel any better, my love?" he asked.

"A little bit."

"I believe your fever has broken. Thank God!" Robert laughed softly and embraced his wife.

Soon the pox began to appear on Elizabeth's body, even on the insides of her eyelids and in her throat, which made both blinking and swallowing extremely painful. However, that was not her main concern.

"How numerous are the pox on my face?" she asked Robert. "Please tell me the truth."

"I wouldn't lie to you, my love. Your face has many pox, but they will be gone soon."

"They sometimes leave quite extensive scarring."

"Yes, they do," Robert said softly. "But not always."

"Will you still love me, Robin, if my face is left horribly disfigured by this disease?"

"How can you even ask such a question? Regardless of your appearance, you are still my darling Elizabeth on the inside, and nothing will ever change my love for you. Did you ever seriously doubt that?"

"Perhaps not. But it's always nice to be assured of that."

Robert smiled and hugged her.

Within days, all Elizabeth's pox had dried and formed scabs, and to her tremendous relief, the resultant scarring wasn't nearly as severe as she had feared that it might be.

When all the scabs had fallen off and she was completely healed, Robert walked with her back to the garden. He seated her and told her that he would soon return. A short time later, Robert emerged from the palace carrying his son and accompanied by Kat Ashley, who carried Rose.

"My babies!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "How I've missed you!" She took one child, then the other, into her arms, embraced them tightly, and covered them with kisses.

"Mama! Mama!" shouted the twins excitedly. They had both recently learned to walk and toddled about the garden curiously.

"It was but a short time ago that I doubted I would ever see my darlings again," Elizabeth said.

Robert patted her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "Thanks be to God that He has seen fit to spare you," he said.

That night, Robert embraced Elizabeth warmly and kissed her tenderly on the lips as he wished her a good night.

"Love me, Robin," she pled. He did, ever so gently and sweetly. Afterwards they fell asleep in one another's arms for the first time since Robert had given her the necklace in the garden.


	11. A Potential Rival

_"Thus shall I mourn  
>Thus shall I sing<br>Come away, come away, my darling..."_

"Bravo! Bravo! Another one!" Elizabeth smiled and clapped in approval. Robert gave her a cheeky grin and began to strum his lute once more.

_"Alas, my love, you do me wrong  
>To cast me off discourteously<br>And I have loved you oh, so long  
>Delighting in your company..."<em>

Elizabeth laughed. "My father wrote that song for my mother when he was still married to Katherine of Aragon."

"I know." Robert winked at her.

William Cecil entered. "A letter from your cousin, Mary, Queen of Scotland, Your Grace."

Elizabeth tore open the seal and quickly perused the document. Her expression quickly changed from one of pleasure to one of extreme annoyance.

"Her husband, Francis of France, has died, and she requests safe passage to England, which I shall _not _grant. She believes that my own empire is rightfully hers and desires to return England to the old religion. If she wishes to journey to England, she shall do so at her own risk."

"She's your own cousin, darling, and a woman in mourning in addition to that," Robert said soothingly.

"How I do so wish that Francis had lived, so that she would have stayed in France, a safe distance from our shores."

Robert chuckled, amused at his wife's words. He knew that Elizabeth wasn't really heartless, that she simply knew that she sometimes had to act tough to prove herself to be a capable ruler, that otherwise her subjects would doubt her abilities simply because she was a woman. He sympathized with her because of that.

"I shall arrange a marriage between Mary and Lord Darnley, Henry Stuart. His family are staunch Catholics, but he himself is weak and indecisive. He's spoiled and lazy and not truly capable of ruling effectively. A match between Mary and Lord Darnley will lessen the chances that Mary will succeed at taking my throne and bringing back the old religion."

"I have to say that I do admire your craftiness, my dear," Robert said.

"I do what I must." She went to him and put her arms around him, and he held her close and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

><p>Elizabeth and Robert stood together on a cliff, looking down at the beach below, where Lord Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots, rode horses.<p>

"They certainly appear to be enjoying themselves," Robert commented.

"Thank goodness for that," Elizabeth replied.

Robert grinned. "Congratulations. Your plan seems to be moving along quite nicely."

Henry fell from his horse, and Mary dismounted from her own horse and knelt beside him, a frightened look on her face. Elizabeth and Robert moved to a place where they could hear what was going on better while still not being observed.

"Are you all right, my darling?" Mary asked anxiously.

"I think so." Henry sat up, rubbing his head. He saw how frightened she looked and was startled. "It was just a minor accident. There's no need to be upset."

"It's just that my beloved husband fell from a horse when he died, and seeing that happen to you brought back the memory of that terrible event."

Henry took Mary into his arms and comforted her. Robert and Elizabeth smiled as they walked back to the palace. Elizabeth was relieved that her plan seemed to be succeeding. Robert was proud of his wife's cleverness and resourcefulness.


	12. Katherine Howard's Ghost

Over the next few years Robert and Elizabeth's family grew to include two more children: John, named for Robert's father, and Anne, named for Elizabeth's mother. Johnny was born when the twins were two years old, and Annie was born when they were four.

Once when the twins were ten years old, the family was staying at Hampton Court. It was the wee hours of the morning, and Rosie was lying in bed half asleep, half awake, when she thought she heard the sound of a young woman crying. As she wasn't entirely sure whether she was awake or dreaming, she forgot the incident until later in the day, when her brother Robert gave her the look that she knew meant that he wanted to talk to her alone. As they were twins, they didn't always need spoken words to communicate.

"I didn't say anything earlier because I didn't want to scare Johnny and Annie," Robert began. "But did you hear her this morning?"

"Who?" Rosie was puzzled.

"The ghost. Crying." Robert was more solemn than his sister had ever seen him.

"So that wasn't just my imagination after all." Rosie didn't even realize that she had spoken out loud until she saw her brother shaking his head.

"Her name is Katherine Howard, and she used to be married to our grandfather, King Henry VIII," Robert told her. "But she was naughty, so naughty that our grandfather had to have her executed. After she was arrested she broke free and ran down the Long Gallery that leads to the Royal Chapel, begging for her life. Papa and Mama both saw her. Papa said that she was actually frothing at the mouth. He said that the sight of her made his hair stand on end." Robert paused to give his sister time to be duly horrified, and to his satisfaction, Rosie gasped.

"Anyway, Papa told me there's only one way to make her happy so she'll stop crying and moaning. He said that when he and Mama were our age, they would wait until the guard changed at four in the morning and sneak into the Long Gallery to play ninepins. They used to play ninepins with Katherine Howard when she was still alive. Papa said that if they did that she would be happy and at peace, so that's what we'll do tomorrow morning."

Sure enough, Rosie heard the sound of a young woman crying again the following morning. Remembering what her brother had told her the previous day, she was instantly wide awake. Taking care to make as little noise as possible, she got out of bed and crept to the Long Gallery, where Robert waited with his ninepins.

The twins were having so much fun that they were completely unaware of the passage of time until Rosie noticed a patch of light from the rising sun on the floor.

"Shouldn't we be heading back now?" she whispered nervously to her brother. Robert nodded silently and began to gather up the ninepins.

"Rosie!" Rosie suddenly heard Annie's voice calling her name, and a moment later her little sister appeared, crying. "I looked everywhere and I couldn't find you!" Annie sobbed.

Rosie didn't have time to say a word before her parents were there as well, rubbing sleep from their eyes.

"What on earth is going on?" Elizabeth demanded.

"We were only playing ninepins," Robert said innocently. "That's what you told me that you and Mama used to do to quieten the ghost, Papa. Rosie and I heard her crying this morning and yesterday morning."

Their father looked startled for a minute, then burst out laughing. Elizabeth looked as if she were struggling to look severe while overwhelmed by the urge to laugh as well.

"I'm sorry I scared you by sneaking out, Annie." Rosie went to her little sister and hugged and comforted the little girl. Annie looked at her reproachfully but stopped crying.

"It's all right. No major harm was done," the older Robert said generously. "But I think you two have quite appeased the ghost for now." He looked at his wife with such merriment in his eyes that Elizabeth finally gave in and laughed along with him. He swatted her playfully on the behind.

"We never got caught ourselves," she remarked as they returned to their quarters. "God, Robin, that was just so long ago. We were so young." She looked slightly melancholy. Robert touched her cheek gently.

"I loved you then, as I love you now," he said softly. Tears were suddenly in her eyes, and he kissed them away.

Rosie didn't hear anything unusual at all in the wee hours of the following morning.


	13. Lady Douglas Sheffield

"Please excuse me. I'm terribly sorry," said a pleasant male voice.

Lady Douglas Sheffield looked up to see who she had just awkwardly collided with and found to her astonishment that it was none other than the Prince Consort himself, Robert Dudley. Lady Douglas felt her heart begin to flutter wildly in her chest.

"It's quite all right," she assured Robert with a smile.

"Are you certain?" His voice was warm, concerned, as he gently took her arm to help steady her.

"Really, I'm fine. Thank you."

Robert gave Lady Douglas a friendly smile, patted her arm, and continued on his way. Lady Douglas watched him go, thinking how he was not only very nice-looking but charming and well-mannered as well. She had been so lonely since her husband John had died recently, and dearly wished for the companionship of a man. She knew how much Robert loved the Queen, that she would never stand a chance of winning his love for herself; yet if she could spend just one night in his arms, it would be a memory she would treasure forever.

Lady Douglas knew that the Queen was away, staying with her close friend Katherine Howard, Countess of Nottingham, who was ill. A plan began to form in Lady Douglas' mind.

* * *

><p>"Can you come to visit tomorrow afternoon? We have a lovely new puppy, and I would like for you to meet him," Elizabeth Sheffield said to Rosie. Elizabeth was Lady Douglas' daughter and one of Rosie's favorite classmates in the school that royal children and other children with parents at court attended. Elizabeth's younger brother, Edmund, was also good friends with Rosie's younger brother Johnny.<p>

"Of course! I'd love to!" Rosie exclaimed. She loved all animals, especially dogs.

"My Mama also told me to get you to ask your Papa to come along as well, as she wants to ask him about something," Elizabeth continued.

"Of course I will," Rosie promised.

The following afternoon, Rosie and her father arrived at Lady Douglas' chambers. The new puppy, a Corgi, was brown and white and very lively and affectionate. Rosie fell in love with him immediately.

"Rosie said you had a question for me," Robert said to Lady Douglas.

"Oh, yes! As I know you're an expert in animal care, I had some concerns about the new puppy that I was hoping you could help me with," Lady Douglas told him.

"Actually, my area of expertise happens to be horses rather than dogs, but I'll be happy to provide whatever assistance I can."

"I appreciate that very much, Your Grace. Why don't we step in here and get comfortable."

Robert noticed that she was leading him into her bedchambers and felt a twinge of unease but dismissed it. After all, Lady Douglas' children were friends with his own children.

"Please, have some wine." Lady Douglas handed him a glass.

"I can't stay for very long..." He took a sip. "Why, it's simply delicious."

"It's one of my favorites." She motioned to a chair and sat in another opposite him. "I imagine you must be very lonely with the Queen away."

"I do miss my dear Bess very much," Robert agreed. "So, what are your concerns about the puppy?"

* * *

><p>To Elizabeth's tremendous relief, the Countess of Nottingham recovered more quickly than had been expected, and Elizabeth decided to return to the Palace the following day. She arrived to find the children still asleep and Robert nowhere to be found.<p>

"The last time I saw him, he was accompanying Rosie to visit Lady Douglas Sheffield and her daughter," Kat Ashley told her in response to her inquiry.

"Lady Douglas Sheffield?" Elizabeth asked suspiciously. She had seen Lady Douglas looking at Robert in a way that she didn't like at all. She felt a distinct sense of unease building up inside her.

* * *

><p>Robert suddenly awakened to find himself in totally unfamiliar surroundings. With a shock of horror, he realized that he was in Lady Douglas' bedchambers, that he was lying on her bed only partially clothed, and that she was lying beside him fast asleep, only partially clothed as well.<p>

With a rising wave of panic, Robert realized that the last thing he remembered was entering Lady Douglas' bedchambers and taking a sip of the wine she had offered him. Whatever she had spiked it with must have been very potent, as he still felt quite woozy. Thanking God that Elizabeth wasn't due home for a couple of days, he hurriedly struggled to gather up the remainder of his clothing and at last, looking somewhat disheveled, stumbled from Lady Douglas' chambers, only to nearly bump right into his wife, the Queen, who was coming from the opposite direction.


	14. An Unexpected Visitor

"Darling! It's such a pleasant surprise to see you again!" Robert exclaimed, reaching to embrace his wife.

"It is most definitely _not _pleasant in the least to see you." Eyes blazing with fury, Elizabeth stepped neatly aside. "How _dare_ you spend the night in the company of that abominable woman Lady Douglas Sheffield and then greet me the following morning as if all is as it should be?"

"Dearest, I went simply to discuss animal care with her. I have no idea how I ended up staying the night in her chambers. She gave me wine to drink, and I suspect that she had secretly added some magical herbs of some sort to it."

"So you drank wine with her, in full awareness of what such foolishness leads to!"

"My darling Bess, it was merely a sip..."

"Just a sip is enough!" Elizabeth exploded. "You visited her quarters, drank her wine, and had carnal relations with her!"

"In truth I have no recollections of having had carnal relations with her which, with God as my witness, I would never willfully have done, so great is my love for you," Robert protested.

"I've heard enough!" Elizabeth shouted. "You may find lodgings of your own from this day forward, as you are no longer welcome in my bedchambers!"

With a heart heavy with sorrow, Robert gathered his personal effects and moved out of the royal chambers.

* * *

><p>That night Rosie heard her little sister Annie quietly sobbing in the bed next to her own. She got up and climbed into the younger girl's bed and embraced her.<p>

"I'm s-scared we may never see Papa again," Annie stammered.

"Why, of _course _we shall. He's still here in the Palace," Rosie told her.

"But Mama made him leave our chambers, she's so angry at him. Why is she angry, Rosie?"

"She's angry because Papa went to visit Lady Douglas Sheffield and accidentally fell asleep in her bedchambers and stayed there the whole night. She'll get over it soon and let him come back. You know how quickly Mama always gets over being angry at Papa."

"But what if she doesn't this time, Rosie? Mama's the Queen. She could have Papa's head cut off if she wanted to. What if that happens?"

"Sh! Don't say such things, Annie! Don't even _think_ them!" Rosie whispered fiercely. "Mama would never have Papa's head cut off, for deep inside she still loves him, and always will!"

"Truly, Rosie?"

"Truly. Now go back to sleep." Rosie held her little sister until Annie's slow, even breathing told her that the little girl had fallen asleep. Then she returned to her own bed, where it was several hours before she was able to fall asleep herself.

* * *

><p>As the days became weeks, Robert tried numerous times to initiate conversation with his wife, only to be rebuffed each time. Finally, discouraged, he resorted to merely giving her longing looks from time to time.<p>

One day Lady Douglas approached him and said that she had to speak to him in private.

"I am with child," she told him.

"What business is that of mine?" he asked her, puzzled.

"Why, it is your own child that I carry in my womb!" Her eyes flashed with indignation.

"But how it that possible, as I have never bedded you?"

"Have you forgotten so easily the night that you _did _bed me? It was the night after your older daughter visited my daughter and played with her new puppy."

"I recall awakening in your bed the following morning, but I have no memory of having actually engaged in carnal relations with you."

"That fact is due to the excessive amount of wine you had drank beforehand," Lady Douglas accused.

"What do you want from me?" Robert's voice was worn, defeated.

"Simply that you acknowledge paternity of your child," Lady Douglas told him.

"I will not acknowledge paternity of a child whose conception I can't even recall."

"And how shall that make your son feel when he is old enough to understand that his father refused to even acknowledge him?"

* * *

><p>One day Elizabeth received an unexpected visitor. He was a very young man, no older than twenty at most, with dark brown hair and brown eyes. Although his face was scarred from smallpox, he was still quite comely.<p>

"I bid you greetings, Your Highness." He smiled courteously and bowed. "I am Francis, Duke of Anjou. It is with utmost pleasure that I present to you this humble gift, and hope that it will please you."

He handed Elizabeth a small box, which she opened to find an earring shaped like a frog.

"Why, it's lovely!" she exclaimed.


	15. The Truth Comes Out

_"You're _lovely," Francis told Elizabeth as he fell into step beside her.

"You're such a flatterer." Elizabeth smiled for the first time since catching Robert fleeing Lady Douglas' chambers in such a disheveled state.

"I speak most sincerely." Francis smiled in return. "I have rarely seen such a lovely creature as yourself."

"Why, thank you," Elizabeth said. "You're quite pleasing to the eye as well." He strongly resembled a twenty-years-younger Robert, she suddenly realized with a pang.

"I was distressed to hear of the pain that has so recently come to you," Francis went on.

"Yes," Elizabeth sighed. "I loved my Robin so and truly believed that he loved me in return."

"Is there no chance at all, then, that the two of you may reconcile?"

"No." Elizabeth shook her head sadly. "After discovering that he had betrayed me with that abominable Lady Douglas Sheffield, I fear that I can never trust him again."

"So, then, you _do _plan to divorce him?"

"Yes." Elizabeth winced as she said the word.

"In that case, may I suggest a marriage of convenience to unite our two kingdoms? I feel that it would be tremendously advantageous for us both."

"That sounds like an excellent proposal, and I shall definitely consider it," Elizabeth replied.

* * *

><p>Every time Elizabeth saw Lady Douglas' belly, it felt as if a knife were being plunged into her heart. She felt such blatant evidence of her husband's betrayal very hard to take.<p>

At the same time, she truly enjoyed getting to know Francis of Anjou. Despite their age difference, they seemed to have a tremendous amount in common. Time seemed to fly when she was with him, and she was tremendously comforted by his presence.

Lady Douglas gave birth to a son whom she named Robert. Rosie went to visit her friend Elizabeth Sheffield and to meet the new baby.

"Mama, is Lady Douglas' new baby my brother?" she asked her mother that night.

"Of course not!" Elizabeth snapped.

"Why did she name him Robert, then? And why does he look so much like Papa?"

"I truly don't know, but he isn't your brother!" Later, alone in her bedchambers, Elizabeth cried herself to sleep.

* * *

><p>Robert knew of the birth of Lady Douglas' son, of course. In spite of everything, he had to admit that there was a slight chance that what Lady Douglas had told him was true, that he really had unknowingly gotten her with child while under the influence of whatever she had put into his wine that night. Despite his desire to stay as far away from Lady Douglas as possible, his curiosity about the baby grew stronger and stronger. He felt that if he saw the baby for himself, he would know for sure whether or not it truly was his. Finally unable to resist the urge any longer, he visited Lady Douglas' chambers once again. To his surprise, Sir Edward Stafford was already there.<p>

"My new son is beautiful, is he not?" Sir Edward asked Robert.

_"Your _son?" Robert was stunned.

"Why, yes. I acknowledged him right after his birth."

Robert looked at Lady Douglas. "Is this true?"

She nodded, refusing to look Robert in the eyes.

"Very well," Robert said stiffly, rising to leave.

Elizabeth was sitting in her chambers reading when Robert entered. She looked up at him with mild curiosity.

"So you've been to visit your new son," she said coldly.

"That's what I have come to discuss with you," Robert told her. "Sir Edward Stafford has acknowledged the child as his own."

Elizabeth was startled, then frowned. "I shall determine the truth of the matter right away," she said. She stood and accompanied Robert back to Lady Douglas' chambers.

Sir Edward had left by the time they arrived. Lady Douglas sat in a chair beside the cradle that held her sleeping baby. It was the first time Elizabeth had been close enough to the child to get a good look at him, and she averted her eyes for fear of seeing too much of Robert in him.

"Robert tells me that Sir Edward Stafford is your son's true father," Elizabeth said.

"It's true," Lady Douglas replied. "Sir Edward came to visit me the night after Your Grace's husband did. There is absolutely no chance that the Prince Consort is baby Robert's father, Your Grace. I underestimated the potency of the bewitching herbs which I added to the wine I gave him to drink, and they rendered him unable to perform. However much I tried, I simply couldn't get his member to rise."

Elizabeth was shocked at first, then infuriated. "So, then, you admit to deliberately bewitching Robert in an attempt to force him to have carnal relations with you?"

"I have long loved and admired Robert from afar," Lady Douglas replied. "I wanted merely one night with him, a sweet memory that I could cherish forever."

"Are you aware that the acts which you have committed are high treason?"

Lady Douglas stared at the floor, saying nothing.

"I could easily have you beheaded for what you have done," Elizabeth continued. Lady Douglas merely stared at her in abject fear. "Yet I will not, for the sake of your children alone. My own mother was taken from me when I was not yet three years old, and I won't have that loss visited upon another innocent child. You are, however, permanently banned from court. If you are still here in two days' time, I shall have you immediately arrested and taken to the Tower."

* * *

><p>"My darling, can you ever forgive me for doubting you?" Elizabeth asked Robert as soon as they were back in their own quarters.<p>

"Of course." Robert smiled. "I can certainly understand how it must have looked to you when you saw me coming out of Lady Douglas' chambers in the state in which I was that morning."

"I've missed you ever so much," Elizabeth murmured as she pulled him onto the bed with her. Eagerly they fumbled with one another's clothing, longing for their long-denied passion to be satisfied. That night they slept holding tightly to one another, their limbs entwined, her head resting on his shoulder.

The following day, Elizabeth told Francis of Anjou that she had reconciled with her husband. "An alliance between our two kingdoms is still possible, however," she added quickly when she saw his downcast expression. "My daughter Rose will be of marriageable age in only a couple of years. She is much nearer your age, and if you are willing to wait for her, she will be able to give you many healthy sons and daughters."

"Very well," Francis said with a smile. "If Rose is anything like her mother, I'd be honored to take her as my wife."

"I'll be more than happy to introduce you to her," Elizabeth told him. She knew that Francis would make a wonderful husband for Rosie, and that her daughter would be happy to live in France.

That night, Elizabeth retrieved her most treasured possession from its hiding place and looked at it. It was a pearl necklace with a giant letter 'B' in the center. She held it up to her neck and looked at herself in the mirror. By deliberately blurring her vision it was easy to imagine that her hair was dark brown instead of red. Robert quietly stepped up behind her, and when she turned to him, he saw that there were tears in her eyes. He went to her and embraced her tightly.


	16. Rose Of Anjou

"I feel as if I'll never see you again." Tears were in Rosie's eyes as she embraced her brother Robert tightly.

"Why, of course you will." Robert was trying hard to be brave, but the quiver in his voice betrayed how he really felt. In all of their sixteen years, the twins had never been apart from one another, but now Rosie was preparing to go to France to marry Francis of Anjou.

"Please don't forget to write!" Rosie begged.

"Every single day, I promise," Robert said. "I love you, Rosie." He kissed her cheek.

"I love you too, Robert." She kissed his cheek as well, then turned to take the hand of her cousin, Philip Sidney. Philip was in his early twenties, only a few months older than Francis, and was going to escort Rosie to France. He gave Rosie a sympathetic smile as he led her onto the ship.

She stood on the deck and waved good-bye to her family until she couldn't see them anymore. Then she went below deck and sat staring morosely at nothing in particular.

"How about if I teach you to play cards?" Philip suggested. "That will help take your mind off things."

Rosie shrugged indifferently. As Philip began to deal the cards, she heard thunder.

"Sounds as if we might be in for a stormy crossing," Philip said pleasantly.

Rosie shrugged again. "He was practically betrothed to Mama one time, you know," she said softly. "That was when we thought she and Papa might get divorced."

"That must have been a very frightening time for you," Philip said sympathetically.

Rosie nodded. "He gave Mama and earring that looks like a frog. She still has it. I wonder whether he'll give me an earring shaped like an animal as well. If so, I hope it's a pony."

Philip chuckled. "Perhaps yours will be shaped like a rose, since that's your name."

They both laughed. More thunder clapped.

"I'm scared," Rosie said in a low voice.

"It's going to be all right." Philip embraced his young cousin. "God will take care of us. Let's pray to Him right now."

Rosie nodded. She and Philip both bowed their heads and closed their eyes. Philip prayed, and Rosie felt slightly better afterwards.

The storm eventually abated, and the shore of France became visible. Clinging tightly to Philip's hand, Rosie felt both excited and a bit frightened.

She found that Francis of Anjou still looked much the same as he had when he had visited England several years previously. On that occasion, her mother had introduced them, and Francis had complimented Rosie on her beauty and kissed her hand. Rosie had been very flattered.

Now as they saw each other again for the first time in several years, Francis smiled and extended his hand to Rosie.

"My dearest Rose, what a beauty you've grown to be! So like your lovely mother..."

Rosie suddenly felt terribly shy. As Philip gently urged her forward, she slowly took the few steps that separated her from Francis. He took her hand and kissed it.

"You have such beautiful red hair." Francis gently stroked it as Rosie stood awkwardly, not sure what to do.

The wedding was a huge affair, with many guests. Rosie felt very small as she walked down the aisle of the huge cathedral to stand at Francis' side.

They recited their vows, and she was Rosie Tudor-Dudley of England no more. From this moment on she was Rose of Anjou.

Afterwards there was dancing, and Rosie danced the first dance with her new husband. To her relief, Francis turned out to be a skilled dancer and didn't step on her foot even once. Afterwards she danced with her new relatives and other French noblemen, and unfortunately _did _get her feet stepped on a few times.

That night, Rosie waited for Francis with both anticipation and trepidation. Having listened to the talk of some of her mother's ladies in waiting, she knew in general what to expect, but wasn't exactly sure about some of the particulars. She had heard that the first time could be painful and hoped that that wouldn't be the case for her.

Suddenly Francis was there, smiling gently, reassuring her. "I promise, I'll be just as gentle as I can be."

He began to kiss her lips, and from there moved on to exploring her body with his hands. Rosie lay back on the bed and let him do whatever he wanted. All she could see was the expression on Robert's face when she had said good-bye to him for the last time.

Although Francis, just as he had promised, was gentle and loving, Rosie did find the experience to be a bit painful. Afterwards she lay in Francis' arms as they both dozed. Later in the night, Francis awoke to hear his new wife quietly sobbing.

"What is it, my love? Have I made you unhappy in some way?"

"No, no. It's just that...I miss my brother Robert so very much. We're twins, and we've always been together. We've never been separated like this before. Without Robert here I just feel as if half of me is missing."

"Please don't cry anymore, my darling. I shall send for him tomorrow."

"Would you really do that for me? Oh, thank you!"

"Of course, sweetheart. I would do anything in the world for you. Now, close your pretty eyes and go back to sleep. I shall sing for you."

He sang a beautiful French lullaby, and Rosie soon fell into a sound sleep.


	17. A Visit From Robert

Rosie was very happy in her new home. Although she missed her family, especially Robert, she enjoyed getting to know her new husband and his friends and relatives. She was delighted to find that Francis, who was only about six years her senior, enjoyed many of the same things she did, including horseback riding.

True to his word, Francis sent for Robert as quickly as possible. Thrilled to see him again, Rosie rushed to embrace him, then stepped back to look at him more closely.

"You look so much taller than when I saw you last," she told him.

"You look very different as well," Robert replied. "So much more...grown up, somehow." Both of them felt just a little bit sad.

"Does he treat you well?" asked Robert.

"Oh, yes! He's very kind, and gives me everything I want."

"Do you love him, then?"

"Why, I suppose so."

Robert looked very relieved. "Mama and Papa are already talking about marriage negotiations for me," he said gloomily.

"What?" Although married now herself, Rosie found it nearly impossible to imagine her twin brother as someone's husband.

"Maria of Braganza, Margherita Farnese of Guimaraes, Anna de' Medici, and Marie of Austria have all been mentioned as possibilities," Robert continued.

"At least you get to stay in England when you get married," Rosie said.

"Are you not happy here in Anjou?" Robert was instantly concerned.

"Oh, it's lovely! But it just doesn't feel like home, at least not yet."

"It shall someday," Robert told her, giving her a reassuring hug.

* * *

><p>"It seems so strange not to have the twins around," Elizabeth said to her husband one evening.<p>

"Robert shall be back with us very soon," he replied.

"I know, but it feels like it's been forever since we've seen Rosie, and I don't know when we'll see her again." Elizabeth looked as if she were about to cry. Robert embraced her tenderly, and she nestled in the comfort of his arms.

"I keep remembering when they were little," Elizabeth continued. "They were such darlings."

"They grew up entirely too fast, didn't they?" Robert laughed gently.

"Robert?"

"Hm?"

"What would you say to the idea of having another baby?"

Robert looked surprised at first, then laughed. "If it'll make you happy, it's fine with me," he said jovially.

"Let's get started right now," Elizabeth said lustily, taking Robert's hand and leading him to their bed.

* * *

><p>"So, how did the first day of the visit with your brother go?" Francis asked Rosie as they were relaxing in bed that night.<p>

"It was so wonderful to see him again!" Rosie enthused. Francis smiled indulgently and touched her cheek playfully.

"I love it when your eyes sparkle like that," he told her.

"My parents are already beginning negotiations for Robert's marriage," Rosie continued in a more serious tone.

"That's understandable," Francis said.

"Did your parents make marriage negotiations for you when you were younger?" asked Rosie.

Francis laughed. "I was their fifth son, and my father died when I was just four years old. I pretty much had to do my own negotiating."

"It sounds as if your situation must have been similar to my mother's," Rosie told him. "She lost her own mother when she was not yet three, and her father died when she was but thirteen. Her brother Edward was King for a few years, but then he died, and her horrid Catholic sister Mary was Queen for five years. They were five of the worst years of her life, and even though he was married to another lady for a few years, my father was right there with her throughout it all."

"Your mother is an extraordinary woman," Francis said softly. "I've always admired her very much. You're quite like her in a lot of ways, you know."

"Am I, truly?"

"Absolutely." Francis laughed and kissed the tip of her nose. With a sigh of contentment, Rosie snuggled up to her husband and was soon asleep.


	18. Robert's Wedding

"Your Majesties." Anna Van Nassau of the Netherlands curtsied deeply upon meeting Elizabeth and Robert. Anna was a petite blonde with bright blue eyes and a shy smile. She was betrothed to Robert, heir to the throne, and the wedding was scheduled to take place the following day.

"Welcome to England, my dear. I hope that your journey was a pleasant one." Elizabeth smiled as she embraced her future daughter-in-law.

"It was very nice, thank you," Anna replied. She greeted the Prince Consort next, and then her future husband. Robert's eyes grew round, and he took a sharp intake of breath as he gazed at his bride-to-be for the first time. He thought that she was simply the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen.

"I'm delighted to meet you," he stammered nervously. Anna smiled at him, and he melted inside.

* * *

><p>The wedding of Robert and Anna was a colossal affair, at least as large as that of Francis and Rosie had been. For Rosie, standing beside her husband, it seemed almost like her own wedding all over again, except that this time she was one of the spectators.<p>

Rosie kept glancing at the door from which Anna was to enter, eager for a glimpse of her new sister-in-law. She gasped as Anna finally entered. The young woman was breathtakingly beautiful, and Rosie felt a twinge of jealousy, wondering whether she herself had been as beautiful on her own wedding day.

When the ceremony had ended and Robert and Anna had been pronounced husband and wife, Rosie went with the rest of the family to meet Anna. The beautiful bride stood with her proud husband, surrounded by family members, each of them eager to embrace her or kiss her hand. Finally it was Rosie's turn.

"Welcome to the family," she generously told Anna.

"Thank you, Rose. I'm so glad we're sisters now," Anna replied with a warm smile.

"As am I," Rosie said, feeling ashamed of the jealousy she had felt earlier. She glanced longingly at her newly married brother with just a twinge of sadness. Never again would they ever huddle together whispering secrets to one another. Both of them were married to other people now. Rosie suddenly found herself blinking back unexpected tears.

"Are you all right, my love?" Francis was instantly at her side, a look of deep concern on his face.

Rosie smiled and nodded. "Sometimes I just wish things didn't have to change so quickly," she said with a little sigh. "Wasn't the bride absolutely stunning?"

"No more so than you were on the day we were wed, darling," Francis replied.

* * *

><p>"Is Robert going to go away now, like Rosie did?" Annie asked her older brother, Johnny.<p>

"Of course not," Johnny scoffed. "Robert's going to be the King of England someday. Anna had to leave her own country to come here to be with him."

"Does that mean I'll have to leave England too someday?" Annie was highly alarmed.

"Of course you will, when Mama and Papa find a foreign prince for you to marry."

"That's not fair!" Annie burst into tears and ran away from him. "I don't want to ever leave England! I want to stay here forever!"

Elizabeth and Robert saw how upset their younger daughter was and went to comfort her.

"I don't want to ever have to go away like Rosie did!" Annie told her mother.

"Oh, honey, you won't have to go away for a long time." Elizabeth held Annie and stroked her hair. "And when you do, it will be with a nice man like Francis who will love and take care of you."

Annie continued to cry, refusing to be comforted by her mother's words. After consoling her as best they could, her parents returned to the wedding reception.

"I have something important to tell you." Elizabeth's eyes twinkled as she addressed her husband. "I was waiting for just the right time, and now seems as good a time as any. You're going to be a father again."

* * *

><p>Robert felt both excited and nervous as he approached his and Anna's new bedchambers that night. His father had described to him the basics of what was to happen, but having never touched a girl in that way before, he had a difficult time imagining how it would go.<p>

He parted the curtain to see Anna sitting up in bed, staring at him with round eyes. It made him feel immensely better to realize that she was every bit as frightened as he himself was, if not even more so.

He went to her and slowly began to kiss her. He found that it was a highly pleasurable experience and began to feel aroused.

"I guess we're supposed to take our clothes off," Anna said hesitantly.

"I guess we are," Robert said. They both quickly did so. At the sight of Anna's bare breasts, Robert felt desire course through him, causing him to gasp with pleasure as he felt himself harden. As if on cue, Anna began to stroke him there, and he found the sensation to be almost indescribable.

From then on everything seemed to fall into place naturally. Afterwards Robert descended swiftly into sleep, having concluded that he liked being married very much.


	19. In God's Hands

Almost from the beginning, Elizabeth's fourth pregnancy seemed more difficult than the previous three had been. About midway through she developed abdominal pain that was so severe that she could barely get out of bed, and toward the end of the pregnancy, her legs and feet swelled terribly.

"A woman of your age can expect to have more complications in pregnancy than a younger woman would expect," the physician told her. "Everything considered, you're still doing quite well."

"Surely this child must be born soon, as I don't know how much more of this I can bear," she groaned to Robert one day.

"It will all be over soon, and you'll forget all about it as soon as you hold our new babe in your arms," Robert promised as he embraced her and kissed her cheek.

"I must look a sight," Elizabeth said.

"You're never more beautiful to me than when you're with child," Robert told her. She beamed.

Elizabeth's contractions finally started after dinner one evening. Robert sent for the midwife and settled in to wait with young Robert, Anna, Johnny, and Annie. Elizabeth's labor progressed normally until it was time for the baby to be born.

"Push, Your Majesty, push!" the midwife encouraged her.

"I'm pushing just as hard as I can!" Elizabeth panted.

"Well, you're going to have to push harder!" the midwife told her.

Elizabeth grimaced and bore down as hard as she could for what seemed like ages with no result.

Meanwhile, Robert and his children waited impatiently for word about the Queen's progress. It seemed to him that this delivery was taking much longer than any of his wife's previous deliveries had taken. Finally one of the ladies who had been attending Elizabeth appeared with a look of deep concern on her face.

"I've been sent to fetch the physician," she told Robert. "Her Majesty seems to lack the strength to push the baby out and will require his assistance."

"Is Mama going to die?" Annie asked tearfully. She had heard of women dying during the birth of a child but had never considered that it might someday happen to her own mother.

"Of course not," Johnny scoffed, but his eyes held the same fear his sister's did.

"She's in God's hands," Robert told his children. "We must trust Him to watch over your mother and see her safely through."

Young Robert's face bore an expression of sheer panic. "But...but...I'm not ready..." he stammered, looking to his young wife for comfort. Anna just stared with eyes round as saucers. The thought that her young husband could suddenly have the responsibility of leadership of an entire nation thrust upon his slender shoulders was almost too much for the young girl to grasp.

"Dear Lord, please save my mother!" young Robert prayed.

The physician arrived with his case of instruments. By this time Elizabeth was so exhausted and in so much pain that she barely noticed him.

In a brisk, no-nonsense manner, the physician sat his case down and examined the Queen. He took a tiny knife from his case and made a small cut in Elizabeth's opening, then inserted two slender instruments.

"Push one more time," he instructed her. She did, and the baby's head emerged, held in place by the two instruments.

"Once again," the physician instructed, and with the next push, the rest of the baby's body slid out. A moment later, the lusty wail of a healthy newborn was heard.

"Your Majesty has delivered a beautiful baby boy!" the midwife exclaimed joyfully.

"Let me see him..." Elizabeth was so weak that she could barely talk.

The physician examined Elizabeth again and frowned darkly.

"The amount of blood loss is highly disturbing..." he murmured in a low voice so that Elizabeth couldn't hear. The midwife heard his words, looked at Elizabeth, and turned quite pale. Her eyes met those of the physician.

"Summon the vicar right away. There's no time to lose," she said to one of the attending ladies.

* * *

><p>Robert and his children watched with sinking hearts as they saw the attending lady rush from Elizabeth's side with a frantic look in her eyes and scurry away, returning moments later with the vicar. Annie began to sob. Robert embraced his younger daughter in an attempt to comfort her. Everyone looked at young Robert.<p>

"Well, I guess this is it," young Robert said softly, wondering how on earth he would cope with his grief over the loss of his mother coupled with the awesome responsibilities soon to be thrust upon him. He thought of Rosie in France and what a bitter blow was soon to be hers. His heart ached for her, and he wished with all his might that she weren't so far away.


	20. Guilford George

"The bleeding finally seems to be easing a bit," the physician said. "I believe she's out of danger," he said a few minutes later.

"Praise God!" the midwife exclaimed. The attending ladies all gave a collective sigh of relief.

Elizabeth, who was still very weak, lay propped up on pillows holding her newborn son.

"The bleeding is under control, and the Queen is out of danger," the physician told Robert, who was waiting just outside. "You may go in now."

Robert was badly shaken when he saw how pale and weak Elizabeth looked.

"Darling!" he exclaimed.

"My Robin." Elizabeth's voice was so weak that it was barely a whisper. Robert went to her and embraced her and kissed her forehead.

"Our dear boy!" he exclaimed, taking his new son into his arms. "He shall be called Guilford, in honor of my dear departed brother. If that meets your approval, that is."

"I was thinking of calling him George, for my brother who died when I was two and a half," said Elizabeth.

"How about 'Guilford George'?" Robert suggested.

"That's a lovely idea." Elizabeth smiled.

While Elizabeth rested, Robert took his new son to meet the older children.

"Meet your new brother," he said proudly. "This is Guilford George."

"How's mother?" asked Robert.

"She's out of danger but very tired," his father told him.

"Thank God!" Robert exclaimed.

"Oh, let me see him!" Annie cried. Robert handed the baby to her. "Oh, aren't you precious!" she whispered to her new brother. "Look, he likes me!" she exclaimed to the others.

"Of _course _he likes you! You're his big sister!" her father chuckled.

After Annie held the baby, her brother Robert held him, then Johnny, then Anna.

"He certainly has a lot of people who love him," Anna remarked. Her English had improved dramatically since she had arrived in England and married Robert.

"He sure does," her husband agreed.

* * *

><p>Elizabeth's recovery from the traumatic delivery was frustratingly slow. For several weeks, all she did was lie in bed and nurse baby Guilford. Her husband Robert took over the role of regent while she recovered.<p>

In Anjou Rosie received the news of the birth of her baby brother with joy.

"I must travel to England right away!" she told Francis.

"I shall accompany you!" he replied.

The trip across the English Channel was uneventful, and Francis and Rosie soon arrived at Whitehall Palace.

"Rosie!" her twin brother exclaimed, rushing to meet her. They hadn't seen one another in nearly a year. That was by far the longest they'd ever been apart.

"Robert!" Rosie cried as she rushed into his arms. Francis looked on with a bemused smile.

"So how do you like being married?" Rosie asked her brother.

"It suits me very well," he told her. "Does it still suit you well?"

"Oh, yes!" his twin sister exclaimed. She hugged her father, Johnny, Annie, and Anna in turn, then went to visit her mother and the new baby.

"Mother!" she exclaimed, rushing to embrace Elizabeth. She hadn't been told of the ordeal and near brush with death her mother had endured to bring Guilford into the world. Her father and siblings had seen no reason to upset her unnecessarily.

"This is your new brother, Guilford George," Elizabeth said as she handed the baby to Rosie.

"Oh, aren't you sweet!" Rosie cooed to the baby. Guilford gazed up at her with his dark blue eyes, which made Rosie's heart melt.

"Oh, I don't ever want to let you go!" she exclaimed. Within minutes, however, Guilford became fussy, and Rosie reluctantly handed him back to their mother. He latched hungrily onto a nipple right away.

Rosie stood silently watching her baby brother nurse for a long time. She didn't hear Francis step up beside her, but she did feel his arm slide around her waist a moment later.


	21. The Netherlands

_A/N: Bruges and Ghent are both part of modern-day Belgium, but in the sixteenth century they were considered to be part of the Netherlands._

"The beach here is so lovely," Rosie remarked as she and Francis strolled along the shore of the island city of Flushing. "Different from Dover, but lovely nonetheless."

Rosie had accompanied Francis to the Netherlands, where they also planned to visit Bruges and Ghent.

"I had a feeling you'd like it here," Francis said with a smile.

"I can just see us strolling here with our child," Rosie continued. She was six months pregnant with the couples' first child.

"Wait until you see Bruges." Francis chuckled. "There are canals and a large belfry." He enjoyed seeing the wonder in his wife's eyes as she saw the country for the first time.

After the walk along the beach, there was a special dinner with William of Flushing. That night, in luxurious accommodations provided by William, Rosie felt her child move inside her and thought about how happy and excited she was to be visiting a new country with her husband.

Rosie did indeed love Bruges. She enjoyed the trip down the canal and marveled at the size of the bell tower.

"It's been here for three hundred years, and it has a total of 48 bells," Francis told her. They stayed to hear the free concert given by the carillonneur before returning to their lodgings.

* * *

><p>Francis and Rosie were still in the Netherlands when Rosie's labor pains started three months later. She was both excited and frightened. Francis stayed with her for as long as he was permitted to, rubbing her back and moistening her lips with a damp rag.<p>

"Don't be afraid, _ma cherie," _he encouraged her. "Everything's going to be just fine."

Rosie had weak, irregular labor pains for many hours. When they became stronger, a midwife was called to examine her, and Francis had to leave.

"I'll see you again in just a little while, my darling," he told his wife as he kissed her, trying desperately to push from his mind all the different things that could possibly go wrong.

Rosie tried her best to rest in between contractions, saving up her energy for when she knew she'd need it. As the contractions became stronger and closer together, she bit her lip so hard to keep from crying out that it bled.

"Go ahead and scream if you feel like it," the midwife told her.

"I feel like I have to push!" Rosie told her. The midwife quickly examined her again. "Go ahead and push. It's time," she said.

With the next contraction, Rosie bore down with all her strength, but nothing happened. Discouraged, she slumped back onto the bed.

"You're doing fine," the midwife encouraged her. "Just keep pushing."

Rosie gave several more pushes. "The head is crowning," the midwife told her.

Rosie felt giddy with excitement. "Does that mean you can see the top of the baby's head?"

The midwife nodded. Her strength renewed, Rosie pushed again.

"The baby's whole head is out now," the midwife told Rosie a moment later. "Give me one more big push."

Rosie did, and felt the baby's whole body slide from her own.

"It's a girl!" the midwife announced. She cut the cord and briskly rubbed the tiny body, and the baby began to cry.

"She's so _little!" _Rosie exclaimed, gazing in wonder and awe at her new daughter. It was the first time she could remember seeing a newborn close-up. She'd only been four years old when Annie had been born, and she had yet to meet her younger brother Guilford.

Rosie tentatively reached to touch the baby. "Her skin is so _soft!"_

Suddenly Francis was there, grinning broadly. It occurred to Rosie that her husband might be disappointed that she hadn't given him a son.

"Is it all right?" she asked him timidly.

"Of course it's all right! Why shouldn't it be?" he asked her.

"I was afraid you'd be disappointed that she wasn't a boy," Rosie said softly.

"No, not at all! She's beautiful!" Francis assured her. "I'm just so thankful that you and she are both fine."

Rosie smiled gratefully. "I'd like to name her May, since it's the month she was born in, and it's a lovely name besides," she suggested hesitantly.

"I think that's the perfect name for her," Francis agreed.

May had dark brown hair and dark blue eyes, and her facial features looked just like a tiny replica of her father's.

"She looks just like you," Rosie observed.

"So she does." Francis smiled with pleasure.

Tired but elated, Rosie cuddled May close and rested her head on her husband's shoulder.


	22. Maud

Maud was very excited as she and her brothers and sisters left their village hut at dawn on the first day of May. She'd been Maying for as long as she could remember, and it was one of her favorite holidays.

Soon she met another group of villagers coming from a different direction and fell into step beside a tall boy with his cap pulled low over his eyes. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"My name is Maud," she told him.

"It's nice to meet you, Maud," he said pleasantly. "I'm Johnny."

"I just love going Maying, don't you?" Maud asked.

"I rather enjoy it as well," Johnny said. Maud felt a warm, pleasant glow inside that she hadn't often felt in the presence of boys. She was only now becoming of marriageable age so hadn't had much experience with boys as anything other than playmates, but she immediately knew that she liked Johnny and wanted to get to know him better.

After awhile they found some rafts of myrtle. "These are really good for making flower crowns," Maud told Johnny.

"Is that right?" Johnny asked politely.

Maud showed him how and made one for each of them. Johnny carried his crown in his hand rather than wearing it.

After awhile they turned to go back to the village. They reached Maud's home and she stopped beside the gate.

"Is this where you live?" asked Johnny.

"Yes," said Maud. She had enjoyed Maying with Johnny very much and felt reluctant to leave him.

"In that case, I shall tell you good-bye and hope that our paths will cross again someday." Johnny pushed the cap on his head back, and Maud gasped with shock.

"Why, you are Prince John!" she exclaimed.

Johnny chuckled and blushed slightly. "Please, just call me Johnny, as the rest of my friends do."

Maud's heart pounded so hard she thought that surely it would burst right out of her chest. Not only had she gone Maying with Prince John, but he actually considered her to be a friend! Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined that something that wonderful would happen.

* * *

><p>Johnny watched as the Maypole arose and a group of village girls began dancing around it. He saw that Maud was among them. He watched her reddish-blonde hair, so like that of his mother and older sister, fly as she swirled, her freckled face shining with joy. How he longed to hold her in his arms and kiss her! Yet he knew he didn't dare. Her family were commoners, and rather poor ones at that.<p>

Johnny's mother's fool wove in and out of the dancing girls carrying a long silver ribbon, which he twirled around each girl's waist until they were all laced together. Johnny couldn't take his eyes off Maud. For him, this had been a May Day like no other before it.

* * *

><p>Maud was tired but very happy by the end of the day. She couldn't stop thinking about Johnny...his voice, his smile, the way he had looked at her. For the entire time she'd been dancing around the Maypole, she'd wondered whether he was watching her, whether he thought that she was pretty. She knew that it would be utterly useless to hope for any further interaction with him after this day was over. He was the son of the Queen of England, and she was merely a poor village girl.<p>

With a sigh she began to undress and get ready for bed. As she removed one of her shoes, a small, round object fell out of it, making a clinking noise as it hit the floor. Maud gave a shriek of delight when she saw that it was a sixpence which Johnny had discreetly slipped into her shoe earlier in the day.

* * *

><p>"And just why do you want to invite a simple village girl to come to court as a lady in waiting?" Elizabeth asked her second oldest son.<p>

"I was impressed with not only her beauty, but also her kindness," Johnny told his mother.

"If I invited every beautiful and kind village girl to be a lady in waiting at my court, the palace would be so overrun with ladies in waiting that there would be little room for anyone, or anything, else," Elizabeth said cynically.

"But it isn't just that," Johnny protested. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's just something special about her."

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "You haven't developed a romantic interest in this girl, have you?" she asked sharply.

"Oh, no, Mother," Johnny said quickly. "It's simply that...as I watched her dancing around the Maypole, I noticed that she really stood out from the other girls. She's a very talented dancer, and I feel that she'd be a real asset to this court."

"You do realize that this is highly unusual." His mother's tone of voice made Johnny's heart soar with hope.

"Very well, then. Invite your dancing girl to court," Elizabeth finally told her son. "One extra lady in waiting won't make much of a difference, I suppose. Only see to it that you don't make a habit of asking me for similar favors."

"Oh, thank you, Mother!" Johnny rushed toward the village to tell Maud the good news. Elizabeth eyed him suspiciously as she watched him leave the palace.

_A/N: I'm not terribly sure about the tradition of the sixpence in the shoe and what it symbolizes but I thought that it added a nice touch to the story. :)_


	23. Forbidden Love

Maud's heart nearly stopped when she saw Johnny approaching her family's modest home. Why on earth would a Prince of England visit her humble abode on an ordinary day? For a moment she was afraid, but then she noticed how happy Johnny looked and felt her fear dissipate.

"Maud!" Johnny cried happily when he saw her.

"Johnny!" Eagerly she rushed to meet him.

"I bring good tidings," Johnny announced. "My mother the Queen has invited you to come to court as a lady in waiting!"

"But I am merely a simple country girl," Maud said. "How can it be that I was chosen over all the wealthy, sophisticated young women she could have had?"

Johnny grinned.

"Did you perhaps have something to do with her decision?"

"Perhaps I did," Johnny said mysteriously.

"Give me time to say farewell to my parents and brothers and sisters," Maud requested. She did so, and they all expressed their congratulations and wished her the best of luck.

Upon entering the palace, Maud suddenly felt very nervous. What would it be like to actually meet the Queen? Would the Queen like her? What would happen if she didn't?

At last Maud was standing with Johnny before the Queen, who was sitting on her throne. Maud's heart pounded so hard that she thought that she could almost hear it.

"Mother, may I present Maud Hastings." Johnny bowed, and Maud curtsied deeply.

"It's lovely to meet you, my dear." Elizabeth smiled warmly at Maud.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Maud said shyly.

* * *

><p>A few days later, Johnny watched Maud as she and the other ladies in waiting danced for the entertainment of his parents. To him she seemed every bit as lovely as she had the day he'd watched her dance around the maypole, if not even more so. A small smile played around his lips as he watched her dance, and when she had finished, he silently approached her.<p>

"Oh!" she gasped, startled, as she turned to see him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you," he said apologetically.

"It's quite all right." She smiled, a smile that made him feel warm all over.

"Would you like to go for a walk in the garden with me?" he asked.

"Oh, that sounds lovely!" she exclaimed.

Soon they were alone together in the vast palace gardens, strolling amongst the lovely flowers and chatting amicably. In the sunlight Maud looked even more beautiful to Johnny. Almost of its own accord, his hand reached to gently touch her hair, something he had longed to do since he had first met her. She looked at him quizzically.

"Forgive me. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," he said.

"Oh, that's quite all right." She smiled her smile that simply made his heart melt.

Johnny felt his heartbeat quicken. Nervously he shifted from one foot to the other.

"Maud...may I please give you a kiss?"

She blushed a deep pink, and he almost wished that he could retract his words.

"Certainly," she said, after a moment's hesitation.

When his lips met hers, it was just as if a bolt of lightening had flowed between the two of them.

* * *

><p>"I don't like what's going on at all," Elizabeth said to Robert.<p>

"Of what do you speak, my love?"

"Did you see how our Johnny was looking at Maud Hastings as she danced?"

"Well, no, I can't rightly say that I noticed."

"Well, _I _did, and it's simply scandalous! She's a coarse village girl, a commoner! How dare he look at her that way!"

"As you well know, it isn't uncommon at all for young men of his station to be tempted to indulge in fleshly pleasures, nor indeed even to give in to such temptation," Robert said with a grin.

"I fear that our Johnny has more than a casual dalliance in mind when it comes to Maud Hastings," Elizabeth said darkly.

"Well, my love, need I remind you that I wasn't originally royalty myself?" Robert pointed out.

"Your family was of a much higher standing that that of the Hastings, and well you know it," Elizabeth said sharply. "I must take every precaution to see that this situation doesn't proceed any further than it already has."

"What do you propose to do?" asked Robert.

"I shall discuss the matter with him right away," Elizabeth replied, heading for her son's quarters.


	24. Johnny's Choice

Johnny knew that he was in love. Everything about Maud - her sparkling eyes, her dazzling smile, her soft, supple lips - totally captivated him. Not once did he even consider her humble origins. They didn't figure into how he felt about her at all.

Johnny's reverie was suddenly interrupted as his mother, followed closely by his father, barged into his chambers.

"I must talk to you immediately concerning the Hastings girl," Elizabeth announced.

"Her name is Maud, Mother."

"I saw the way you looked at her as she was dancing, Johnny, and before this goes any further, I must tell you that I will not permit you to wed a common village girl, so you must banish all thoughts of such an absurdity from your mind this very minute."

"But what if I love her, Mother?"

"You are hardly more than a babe, Johnny. What do you know of love?"

"Robert and Rosie were both wed by the time they were the age I am now, Mother."

"Nevertheless, I absolutely forbid you to wed a commoner," Elizabeth said adamantly. "If you defy me and marry her anyway, you and your descendants shall be eliminated from the line of succession forever."

_Being a King isn't nearly as important to me as being happy, _Johnny wanted to retort, but knew that he didn't dare.

* * *

><p>He found her right where he knew he would, sitting in her favorite spot in the garden. Surrounded by sunlight, she had never looked more like an angel to him.<p>

"Maud?" he called softly.

"Johnny!" She jumped to her feet excitedly.

"Come with me for a walk, Maud," he said. "I've got something important to tell you." He began to walk, and she fell into step beside him.

"Everything is so lovely this time of year," she commented, looking around at the flowers in full bloom.

"Indeed it is," Johnny said softly. "Listen, Maud, over the time I've gotten to know you, my feelings for you have deepened and blossomed into the most tender of emotions. What I'm trying to say is that I love you, Maud. Will you marry me?"

"Oh, Johnny!" Her eyes grew bright with excitement for just a moment, then dimmed. "I love you too, my darling, but I...I can't marry you, Johnny. Your parents would never forgive you. Your mother would be absolutely furious. She might banish you from our beloved country forever. I couldn't let that happen to you, Johnny." Maud was crying now; her tears fell softly from her eyes and ran down her face, dripping from her chin to the green grass below. "Your mother will find a woman from a fine, distinguished family for you to wed, Johnny. A woman with a lot more to offer you than myself."

"But I don't want a woman from a distinguished family, Maud. I want you!"

"I'm sorry, Johnny." The tears continued to flow as she shook her head.

"Maud, please..." His arms went around her waist as he looked earnestly into her eyes. "You're my whole world, Maud. My life would be nothing without you. Please say you'll wed me!"

"But what about your parents? You know that the consequences they will inflict upon you will be severe. I don't want you to end up hating me, Johnny."

"I could _never _hate you, Maud."

"I know you think that _now." _

"If you won't marry me, Maud, I'll simply give it all up and join a monastery. I'll never want any other woman but you."

Maud giggled at his words. "Join a monastery? You can't do that, Johnny. You're a _prince, _and a Protestant, besides."

"Say you'll marry me, then."

* * *

><p>They journeyed to France, where they were married by a justice of the peace. They stayed that night in a small but cozy inn.<p>

"Tonight I'm so happy that I don't even care about tomorrow," Johnny said jubilantly as he came to his bride that night.

"I wish that time could simply stand still, and that it would always be tonight," Maud said wistfully.

Johnny began to kiss her. While doing so, his hands wandered to her breasts.

"I want to feel your bare skin against mine," Maud whispered.

Johnny removed her dress and then went back to fondling her breasts, teasing the nipples until they were erect and hard. At the same time, he felt desire building to a dizzying crescendo within his own body. Maud's hands moved to his waist.

"I want to see you, Johnny," she said in what was barely a whisper. She removed his breeches, then his hose. The thrill of release combined with the cool air against his bare skin made him even harder, and when Maud took him in her warm, soft hand a moment later, he nearly climaxed right then and there.

* * *

><p>"I can put it off no longer. I shall have to tell her as soon as we return to the palace," Johnny said upon their return to England. Maud saw the dread in his eyes, and her heart went out to him.<p>

"Perhaps she's reconsidered and will show mercy on you." Although they both knew that that wasn't the case at all, Johnny appreciated his wife's attempt to comfort him.

"I don't care what she does to me," he stated bravely. "I have your love, and she can't take that from me."


	25. Journey To Paris

"It is just as I thought it would be. We have both been exiled from England on pain of imprisonment in the Tower," Johnny told Maud when he returned from the dreaded confrontation with his parents.

"But where shall we go?" asked Maud.

"My sister Rosie and her husband Francis have recently returned to France from the Netherlands," Johnny told her. "Perhaps they will agree to take us in." Johnny hadn't seen Rosie since her marriage to Francis and eagerly looked forward to being reunited with his older sister. He and Maud quickly packed their things and set out for Anjou.

* * *

><p>Francis and Rosie were sitting quietly in the parlor with May, who was now a toddler, when Francis suddenly grimaced.<p>

"What's wrong, darling?" asked Rosie.

"Suddenly, my head is pounding madly," Francis told her. "Perhaps if I lie down for awhile it will pass." He did so, and when he didn't emerge from his chambers for a couple of hours, Rosie went to check on him and found him pale and shivering in bed.

"Francis!" she cried, alarmed.

"You must summon the physician tomorrow," Francis said weakly.

"He has malaria," the physician said solemnly upon examining Francis.

"Will he live?" asked Rosie, her heart pounding madly.

"I don't know," the physician told her. "It's too soon to tell. If he's still alive several months from now, I'd say his prognosis is good."

With a heavy heart, Rosie wrote to her mother-in-law, Dowager Queen Katherine de' Medici, and told her of Francis' condition. Several days later, royal messengers arrived from Paris with a carriage.

"The Dowager Queen insists that her son be brought to Paris immediately," the messengers told Rosie.

Although very weak, Francis was able to travel, so with the help of servants, he was bundled into the carriage for the trip to Paris. Rosie sat beside him holding little May.

"Bye bye," said the little girl, waving her hand out the window as the carriage departed. Rosie kept her occupied by pointing out interesting objects in the passing scenery until she fell asleep in her mother's lap.

"You never talk about your mother and brother," Rosie remarked to her husband.

"There isn't much to say," Francis replied. "They both hate me."

"Why, I'm sure they don't!" Rosie cried, dismayed.

"But they do," Francis insisted. "They banished me from court eight years ago because they knew that I sympathized with the Huguenots. Eight months later, the Prince of Conde, the King of Navarre, and I forced my brother to sign the Edict of Beaulieu on their behalf."

"But you were only trying to be fair," Rosie said. "The Huguenots have been much mistreated, and besides, he _is _your brother."

"Well, unfortunately, he doesn't see it that way at all." Francis closed his eyes, and Rosie, realizing that he needed his rest, stopped talking.

When the family finally arrived at the palace in Paris, servants helped Francis out of the carriage while his wife walked beside him, carrying May.

"My dear brother!" King Henry III of France exclaimed as Francis was brought into his presence. He left his throne and rushed to embrace his younger brother. "It saddens me to see you so ill," he continued.

Francis looked at his brother in surprise. "Is all forgiven, then?" he asked warily.

"All is forgiven," Henry assured him. "Is this lovely woman your wife, and the little girl your daughter?"

"Yes," Francis said proudly. "This is Princess Rose Tudor-Dudley of England, and our daughter's name is May."

"It's wonderful to meet you both." Henry embraced Rosie and kissed her cheek and held May briefly.

"I'm your Uncle Henry," he told the little girl, who laughed and reached for his feathered hat. Suddenly Katherine de' Medici was there as well.

"My son!" she cried, rushing to Francis' side.

"Mother," he said, reaching for her.

* * *

><p>Francis, Rosie, and May had been in Paris for several weeks when they received some very unexpected visitors.<p>

"My brother!" Rosie cried, rushing to embrace Johnny. "What a lovely surprise!"

"This is my wife, Maud," Johnny told her.

"When did you marry?" Rosie asked, taken aback.

"A couple of weeks ago," Johnny replied. "Our mother has banished Maud and myself from our beloved England because Maud's a commoner. We went to Anjou and were told that you had left for Paris. As we have nowhere else to go, we were hoping that we could stay with you."

"Why, of course you can!" Rosie told him.

"Thank you very much, Your Grace," Maud said, dropping a curtsy.

"Please, just call me Rosie," said Rosie. "We're sisters now."

Francis was quite ill for several months, but then he slowly began to recover. When it became apparent that he would survive and continue to improve, he, Rosie, May, Johnny, and Maud all journeyed back to Anjou.


	26. The Perfect Match For Annie

"Now that Annie is of marriageable age, I have the perfect prospect in mind for her," Elizabeth told Robert. "My wish is to see her wed to my distant cousin, James Stuart of Scotland. Unlike his mother, he is a Protestant, and a match between him and our daughter will help lessen the chance of the English throne someday falling into Catholic hands again. Also, as you know, Annie dislikes the idea of having to marry a foreign prince and move away from England. If she marries James and moves to Scotland, she can visit as often as she likes."

"It sounds like a brilliant idea, darling," Robert told his wife. "I've always so admired your ability to think ahead. Have you contacted James yet?"

"Not yet," Elizabeth replied. "But I plan to soon. I wanted to discuss the matter with you first."

Elizabeth was amazed at the rapidity with which James responded to her inquiry. To her it seemed as if he'd been waiting for her to contact him.

"James replies that he is quite willing to wed Annie, on the condition that his mother, Mary Stuart, be released from imprisonment and allowed to return to Scotland."

Robert's eyebrows went up. "Darling, are you sure that would be wise? Mary Stuart has been suspected of plotting your death."

"James assures me that both my life and my throne are quite safe, that all his mother wants is her freedom," Elizabeth told her husband.

"Are you sure that we can trust James?" asked Robert.

"I desire this match so greatly that I am willing to take that chance," Elizabeth replied.

* * *

><p>In her tiny cell deep within Whitehall Palace, Mary Stuart, the former Queen of Scotland, had no idea that today would be any different for her than all the preceding ones. She had just finished her breakfast and morning prayers when the entrance of an unexpected messenger startled her.<p>

"The Queen has sent me to release you from captivity," the messenger told her. "You're free to go."

Mary could hardly believe her ears. "Finally? After all these years?"

"Yes, my lady," the messenger replied. "You are to gather your belongings and prepare to leave immediately. The Queen has arranged for guards to escort you safely home to Scotland."

Mary was beside herself with joy. She had thought that she'd never see the world outside Whitehall Palace again, yet suddenly freedom was mere moments away.

A short time later, Mary and her escorts were outside the palace, as and she mounted a horse and rode northward, she thought that the wind blowing against her face was the most wonderful feeling in the world.

* * *

><p>"Mother!" James exclaimed as Mary was brought before him.<p>

"My darling!" Mary said. "I haven't seen you since you were very small." They embraced, and then Mary stepped back to get a good look at her now-adult son.

"You've grown to be such a nice-looking young man," she remarked, lightly touching his face and hair. James smiled indulgently.

"I don't know what brought about Elizabeth's change of heart, but I thank God for it," Mary told her son.

"I negotiated for your release in exchange for her daughter Anne's hand in marriage," James informed her.

"In that case, I owe you a debt of gratitude as well, and hope that you'll have a long, happy marriage," Mary told her son.

* * *

><p>"Hello," Annie said shyly as she met her fiance for the first time. "My name is Anne, for my grandmother, but most people call me Annie."<p>

"Hello, Annie," James said with a smile. He was slender, with short, light brown hair parted on one side, very serious-looking brown eyes, and a sensitive mouth. He was obviously no more than a couple of years older than Annie at most. "I'm James. It's wonderful to meet you."

"Mother said that we're cousins." Annie felt more nervous than she'd ever felt before in her life.

"Indeed we are, although we're only distantly related," James said pleasantly. "Margaret Tudor, your grandfather's sister, was my great grandmother."

"Tell me about Scotland." Annie managed a small smile.

"It's a lovely country," James said. "There are many mountains, with valleys filled with beautiful wildflowers. I know that you'll love it."

Annie blushed fiercely. "Do you think you'll love _me?" _she asked in a tiny voice.

James gently ran one finger down the side of her face. "I'm certain that I already do," he told her.

They had an elegant wedding at Holyrood Palace, where James' own parents had wed.

That night James seemed so shy when he came to Annie that she wondered whether it was the first time for him as well.

"It's all right," she said. "We're married now."

"I hope that I please you," said James, as he began to very slowly remove first his breeches, then his hose. Annie watched, feeling a little bit awestruck.

Although he was very gentle, Annie did find the experience painful at first, but the feeling of closeness, of intimacy, was so sweet that she quickly forgot about the pain.


	27. Speech At Tilbury

After Annie's marriage, life settled into a peaceful routine for Elizabeth and Robert. With all four of their older children married, young Guilford became the center of their world. Watching him at play with other children of the court, Elizabeth found that she could temporarily forget that she was a Queen and felt just like any other mother.

One day something happened to mar the serenity of her new life.

"A great fleet of ships are approaching from Spain," a messenger told her one day. "Fire ships have been sent to disperse them, but their fate is unknown. I fear invasion is imminent."

"I shall gather troops to defend our country," Robert declared.

"Are we at war, Papa?" asked Guilford.

"Not yet," Robert told him. "But it looks as if we shall soon be invaded by Spain, and I must rally troops to be ready in case they attack."

"I wish I was old enough to be a soldier," Guilford said wistfully.

"I'm glad you're not," his mother told him as she hugged him tightly.

"Do take care, darling," Elizabeth said to Robert as she kissed him good-bye. Perhaps for the first time, she noticed how old and tired he looked.

"You know I will," he murmured, holding her close.

* * *

><p>"Please take care," Anna, formerly of the Netherlands, said to her husband Robert, son of Robert and Elizabeth, as he prepared to join his father and his father's troops.<p>

"Of course I will, darling," Robert replied. It was the first time he and Anna would be separated since they'd married, and as eager as he was to join his father in defending the country, he was finding it harder to part from his wife than he'd anticipated.

"I'll miss you," Anna murmured, clinging to her husband, basking in his warmth. They'd made love just the night before, and she knew that no matter what happened, she'd at least have the memory of that precious time together to treasure.

* * *

><p>On August 8, Elizabeth journeyed to Tilbury in Essex to give moral support to the troops. Wearing a silver breastplate over a while velvet dress, with Robert standing proudly at her side, she addressed the men.<p>

"My loving people, we have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit ourself to armed multitudes for fear of treachery; but I assure you, I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people ... I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a King of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any Prince of Europe should dare to invade the borders of my realm."

Young Robert felt proud as he listened to his mother's speech. He knew that she was just as capable of defending the country as any male monarch would have been. He decided that he didn't care whether he ever had a son or not.

The expected invasion never came. Instead, news arrived that the Spanish had been driven back in tattered remains by bad weather.

A lavish thanksgiving festival followed at St. Paul's Cathedral. The entire royal family remaining in England, including Anna and even little Guilford, attended.

Although relieved by her country's victory, Elizabeth couldn't help being very concerned about Robert. He wasn't his normally dashing and vivacious self at all, and he seemed to need to rest frequently. Elizabeth remembered her father's final years and had a dark sense of foreboding.


	28. Till Death Do Us Part

As the weeks passed, Elizabeth grew more and more concerned for Robert's health. He ate very little and took frequent naps during the day.

"Perhaps a trip to Buxton to take the waters would help," she suggested, desperate for a remedy.

"It might would help temporarily," Robert replied. "But Bess, I truly believe that I shan't live much longer. We've had a long, happy life together, and enjoyed many years of companionship. You'll always have those memories to treasure."

"Don't say things like that! It's rubbish!" Elizabeth's eyes blazed. "There's nothing wrong with you that the waters of Buxton can't cure!"

Robert sighed and shook his head sadly. Elizabeth was determined, however, and so the royal couple and their servants left London and journeyed to Buxton. Robert lay in the carriage with Elizabeth holding his hand the entire way.

On September 4, 1588, they reached Cornbury Park.

"Bess." Robert was so weak that he could barely speak his wife's name.

"What is it, darling?"

"Take care that our Guilford grows to be a fine young man like his brother," Robert gasped. "And always remember that I love you very much."

"Of course I will!" Elizabeth replied, but Robert said nothing more.

"Robert? Robert! Please don't leave me!" Elizabeth cried frantically, but there was no response as she gazed at his still, serene face. Heartbroken, the Queen burst into sobs.

* * *

><p>In Anjou, Rosie read the message she had just received and paled.<p>

"Oh, no!" she gasped, as tears welled in her eyes.

"What is it, darling?" Francis asked anxiously.

"My father has died," Rosie told him. "They were on their way to the waters in Buxton and he...he..." Suddenly she was sobbing heavily. Francis held her and tried to comfort her.

"Papa, why is Mama crying?" asked six-year-old May.

"Her Papa, your grandfather, has died, and she feels sad," her father explained.

"Don't be sad, Mama," said May. "Now he's an angel in heaven looking down on us."

Rosie gathered her small daughter into her arms and continued to sob.

* * *

><p>Rosie, Francis, and May traveled from Anjou for Robert's funeral; Annie and James traveled from Scotland. The Sidneys and the remaining Dudleys were also there as the Prince Consort was laid to rest. At the very back of the group, in disguise, Johnny and his wife Maud looked on.<p>

One of the most vocal mourners was Elizabeth's first cousin once removed, Lettice Knollys. As soon as she laid eyes on the woman, Elizabeth began to shake with fury.

"How dare you show your face today!" she said fiercely.

"You killed him!" Lettice fired back, eyes blazing. "You put him under so much pressure that he died an early death! If he'd married me instead, he'd still be alive!"

Elizabeth's hand was drawn back to slap Lettice when suddenly a young man stepped between the two women. Elizabeth recognized him as Lettice's son, Robert Devereux.

"Hold on just a minute!" Robert said. "Surely he wouldn't have wanted the two of you to fight on the day of his funeral!"

Elizabeth felt the anger slowly ebb from her body as she realized the truth of Robert's words.

Robert looked at her with eyes full of compassion. "I'm so sorry, Your Grace," he said quietly.

Elizabeth clung to Robert, and he held her as she sobbed. Her son Robert, Rosie, Annie, and their spouses all gaped at the somewhat bizarre spectacle.


	29. The Earl Of Essex

"I hereby dub thee the Second Earl of Essex," Elizabeth proclaimed, touching the tip of her sword to the head of Robert Devereux, who knelt before her. "I also confer upon you the title Master of the Horse and entrust you with the royal monopoly on sweet wines."

"I am deeply honored, Your Majesty," Robert told Elizabeth. "I'll certainly do my best to make you proud of me."

For Elizabeth, having Robert Devereux at court was like a breath of fresh air. His lively personality and eloquent mannerisms so reminded her of her dearly departed husband that at times she found herself almost forgetting that he was, in fact, a different man.

Elizabeth's son Robert looked at the relationship between his mother and Robert Devereux with disdain.

"It's absolutely ridiculous, that's what it is!" the Prince complained to his wife Anna. "She acts like a woman half her age!"

"I should think you'd be glad to see her smile again. She took your father's passing so very hard," Anna replied.

"I know," Robert said. "It isn't that I begrudge her happiness. I'm simply concerned about her image and how her subjects see her."

"As long as she's happy, perhaps that's not so important after all," Anna replied.

Robert sighed deeply and shook his head.

* * *

><p>For a time all was well, but problems soon arose. Overconfident in his abilities, Devereux persuaded Elizabeth to appoint him Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He set out on an exhibition to defeat Hugh O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone. The expedition was a failure, and Devereux was forced to make a truce with O'Neill. Humiliated, Elizabeth forbid Devereux's return to England.<p>

One morning Elizabeth was in her bedchamber at Nonsuch Palace when she heard a noise and, expecting an intruder, shouted for her guards.

"It's only me," said a voice she knew well. Shocked, she turned to look into the eyes of Robert Devereux.

Her surprise quickly turned to rage.

"How _dare _you return to England after I expressly forbid it!" she shouted.

"I have a general warrant," Robert said smoothly. "I can return to England any time I want."

Elizabeth began to cuff Robert about the ears as she ranted. "After your disgraceful failure in Ireland, what kind of reception do you expect from me? Did you think I'd be happy to see you again?"

A look of anger flashed across Robert's face, and he half drew his sword. Elizabeth's eyes bugged out.

"You would dare draw your sword on your Queen?" she shrieked.

"No." Robert grinned impishly at her, then without warning planted a hot kiss onto her lips.

Suddenly all the loneliness, the emptiness, the yearning for physical affection Elizabeth had experienced since her husband's death came to a head. Quivering with desire, Elizabeth almost swooned. She felt Robert's strong arms supporting her, then lifting her and carrying her back to the bed.

Suddenly Robert's lips were kissing Elizabeth all over her face, and he had quickly dispensed with her nightgown.

Naked except for her panties, the aging Queen felt her head spinning as she realized that things were moving much too fast. She felt as if she were standing on the edge of a steep precipice looking down, dizzy with fear and...something else. _Desire. _Yes. She wanted this, Robert Devereux's hands all over her, driving her wild.

She barely noticed as his fingers gently slid her panties down her legs and then tugged them completely off. First his fingers, then his lips, began to stimulate her most intimate parts, driving her to new heights of ecstasy.

Then he was on top of her and inside her, making love to her. She didn't even stop to consider whether it was right or wrong. All she knew was that she wanted it more than she'd wanted anything in a very long time.

* * *

><p>In the beginning they were very successful at hiding their love affair. If their gazes lingered a bit longer than they should, if they clasped hands a bit too often, no one seemed to notice. Until one fateful morning.<p>

Prince Robert needed to discuss a matter of urgency with his mother. It was, in fact, a matter of such urgency that he forgot both the earliness of the hour and the propriety of having himself announced before entering his mother's bedchamber. However, immediately upon entering, he saw a sight that quite made him forget both the urgency of the matter and the matter itself.

There in his mother's bed lay Robert Devereux, the Queen's head resting against his naked chest. Both of them were fast asleep.


	30. Caught

"What, exactly, is the meaning of this?" Prince Robert demanded.

Elizabeth and the Earl both awoke with a start. "I'd best be on my way," said the Earl, hurriedly dressing and leaving Elizabeth's bedchamber.

Elizabeth turned to her oldest son with a look of outrage on her face. "How _dare _you enter my bedchamber unannounced!"

Prince Robert, still reeling from the shock of what he'd just witnessed, opened and shut his mouth awkwardly several times. "I think that's rather a minor concern, considering the circumstances. How _could _you, Mother? You're twice his age!"

"He makes me feel young again," Elizabeth said defensively. "Many a gentleman of my age has bedded a woman of the Earl's age without a word being said about it! If anything, he's admired for his virility!"

Prince Robert had to admit that his mother was right. "Well, I still think it's utterly disgraceful," he said grudgingly. "If you're unwilling to end this foolishness, you'd best conduct it with the utmost discretion from now on."

"That I fully intend to do," Elizabeth replied.


	31. Together For All Eternity

Although Elizabeth had a few years of happiness with her Earl, her health eventually began to fail, and by March of 1603, she was doing quite poorly. She retired to Richmond Palace, where she spent hours at a time simply standing or sitting in a chair. Robert Devereux lay cushions across the floor, and when Elizabeth grew too weak to stand, she lay on them with her lover sitting beside her, holding her hand.

"I fear that I am not long for this world," she told the Earl.

"Please don't say such things, my love," said Robert. "I have faith that you'll be much better soon."

"No, I shan't last long," Elizabeth replied. "I must go to my sweet Robin. He waits for me just beyond the gate. I can almost hear his voice now, calling to me." She closed her eyes.

"Elizabeth! Please don't go!" The Earl had tears in his eyes. Elizabeth's eyelids barely fluttered.

She lay on the floor for four more days. Eventually Robert tenderly gathered her into his arms and laid her in her bed.

On Thursday, March 24, 1603, Queen Elizabeth died in her sleep. The Earl of Essex sat beside her bed, holding her hand, as she quietly passed away.

Robert Cecil read the proclamation of the Queen's death first at Whitehall Palace and then at St. Paul's Cathedral.

Elizabeth's funeral took place on April 28, 1603. Her coffin was draped in purple velvet and drawn by four horses draped in a black livery. Six Knights of the Realm held the large canopy that covered the coffin, upon which lay an effigy of the Queen.

Elizabeth's five children and their spouses and children watched solemnly as the large procession of mourners wound its was toward the Queen's final resting place. At last, Elizabeth and her beloved Robin were together for all eternity.


	32. Epilogue

Sadly, Robert, the son of Robert and Elizabeth, succumbed to smallpox after reigning only a few short years. His only surviving son, also named Robert, fell in love with and married an older divorced woman from the colonies, Alice Simpson, and so forfeited the crown.

May of Anjou married a French commoner and thus was also removed from the line of succession. Upon Robert's death, Anne took the throne and co-reigned with her husband, James VI of Scotland.

James and Anne had seven children: Henry, Elizabeth, Margaret, Charles, Robert, Mary, and Sophia. Henry died of typhoid fever at the age of eighteen, and James and Anne were succeeded by their second son, Charles I. A Civil War took place in England during Charles' reign, and Charles was executed. His son, Charles II, was later restored to the English throne.

The descendants of James and Anne rule England to this day.


End file.
